To Remember and Forget
by Sensou to Heiwa
Summary: What if there was an 8th Millennium Item and the spirit that inhabits it has a conection with the Pharaoh's past. Akina must help him remember his past and also must banish her haunting memories. But will she forget before he remembers? SetoxOC? YamixOC
1. Akina Hanari

**Akina Hanari**

**Chapter One**

"**Mistress Hanari, you have guests. One possesses a Mil-"**

"**I know Ayame,"** the teen said to the maid from within the warm shower.

"**I can sense it. I shall be a few minutes, but please provide our guests with breakfast. I'm sure that they're famished giving the time,"** continued the teen.

Ayame exited the young woman's chambers and made her way down the red carpeted grand staircase. Ayame had always liked Mistress Hanari. She was always so formal with her elders but could have fun whenever she wanted. Hiroshi, the butler, walked by and stopped to ask her about the visitors.

"**They are guests. The mistress wishes for us to serve them breakfast."**

"**I will prepare it myself,"** Hiroshi smiled as he turned toward the large dining room that eventually led to the kitchen.

Meanwhile, the teen stood in the shower and examined her wrists. The golden bands that hugged her arms gleamed in the light with the sparkling water. She slowly reached for the shower handle and turned it off. She grasped around a curtain and found the towel that Ayame had laid out for her. It hugged her body and she walked threw the double doors and into her quarters. She dressed in her normal clothes, an antique white skirt with cerise trim, despite the December weather, and a matching colored long sleeve with ties down the center revealing the also cerise colored V-necked undershirt. She tied a crimson ribbon around her neck that created a chocker to bring out her cherry colored eyes. The bands' chains that hung down to the end of her slender fingers were thin and seemed delicate hanging in the darkness of her room. Her pale skin made her red eyes even more noticeable. She didn't spend much time outside so she had no freckles or blemishes. A knock at her door startled her and caused an echo through her quite space.

"**You may enter,"** she said in her soft velvety voice.

Hiroshi opened the door slowly and walked in a few steps.

"**Breakfast has been prepared, Lady Hanari,"** he said bowing before his master.

"**Thank you. And how many times must I tell you, please call me Akina,"** she said smiling down at the elderly butler.

Hiroshi simply grinned and turned to exit.

"**Oh, before I forget,"** Akina said walking over to her credenza, grabbing a small gleaming object.

"**Give this to the one carrying the Millennium Item. You know what it does,"** she winked at him.

He took it and continued on his way to the dinning room through the foyer. There sat five teenagers about the same age as Akina, two young men stuffing their faces, two females embarrassed by the two's actions and another shorter young man with the Millennium Puzzle in hand. The elderly man seemed to glide across the room and handed the short man a golden wrist band.

"**What's this for?"** he asked holding the band up to see it in the light of the chandelier.

"**This bracelet will separate you're puzzle's spirit from the puzzle and he will become a living person. While he is wearing the bracelet of course."**

"**But will this have any affect on Yugi?" **the brunette female asked standing from her seat.

The two men who had been stuffing their faces had stopped and were now looking at the man, waiting for an answer.

"**No. This was made by the mistress herself. Yugi will be able to converse with his spirit outside of his mind,"** he smiled, reassuring their confidence in Akina's plan.

"**We did come here to find out more about the spirit's past. It's worth a shot," **Yugi said placing the bracelet on his right wrist.

A bright light sprung from the Millennium Puzzle. The others stood from the cushioned seats and watched the bright light consume the room around them. Akina felt the surge of power roll threw her body and knew that the spirit was now released from his puzzle for a short while. Akina jogged down the hall to the staircase, impatient to see another spirit. She had never encountered one of her own. Just as she passed the elegant white front door, the bell rang and she skidded to a stop to open it. She greeted her new guests with a smile and let them in. It was Mokuba and Iva.

"**Good morning Ms. Hanari,"** Mokuba greeted her with a smile.

Akina was accustomed to the young boy. Akina worked with his brother, Seto, at his company. They were about the same age and it was very often that she had to go to parties with him to discus business. Akina was a personal secretary to him and also a business partner. Mokuba and Iva went to the same school, but Iva was older than him. The school that they went to was close to Akina's home so the two spent most of their time there. Mokuba often spent nights or even weeks there because of his brother's absence.

"**We have special visitors today. Would you like to meet them?"** she asked rubbing Mokuba's hair.

Both smiled and followed the teen down the foyer and into the dining room.

"**I'm sorry to keep you waiting,"** she said as she turned the corner into the large room with waiting visitors.

A tall man stood in front of her. The others were standing at the table with the food completely devoured. She smiled and walked over to sit at the end farthest away from the group of teens. Mokuba ran to the table, immediately recognizing the others.

"**Yugi, what are you doing here?" **he asked double taking at two teens.

She hadn't noticed but two looked oddly alike. But there were significant differences. The taller one had slightly different hair. She looked closer at the tall doppelganger. She stared at his eyes. There was something about them that called to her, like she had seen them in her past.

"**You need help finding your past. Do you not?"** she asked the tall one in a calm voice.

"**Akina! This is Yugi, Téa, Joey, Tristan, and Mai," **Mokuba yelled enthusiastically running over to his friends.

"**We were hoping that you're Millennium Item's spirit could help him remember more about his past," **Yugi said pointing at his larger twin.

"**We didn't know that there were eight Millennium items. I am Yami," **he said holding out his hand.

"**I guess you were founded by your reincarnation too,"** she said taking his hand.

They looked at her like she was insane. But it was true, Yami and Yugi could have been brothers. She motioned for Iva to come to her side.

"**I was also found by my…look alike."**

The two girls stood by each other and it was the same as Yugi. Like looking in a mirror as some would say. The room was silent.

"**Does that mean?" **Yami asked in shock.

"**Yes. I am the spirit of the Millennium Bands,"** she nodded.

Joey and Tristan stood up in awe. Akina stood and walked closer to Yami.

"**I have trinkets from my past, but I doubt that they will help,"** she said looking deeper into his eyes, wondering where she had seen them before.

"**That's different,"** she shrugged as she walked closer to the two females.

"**What is?"** Yugi asked.

"**I remember most things about my past, but I don't remember him. But I think I used to. I'm not sure. Anyway, all of you are welcome to stay as long as you need. Usually it's just me and these two,"** she said as she placed her hands on the two youngsters' shoulders.

"**We wouldn't want to impose,"** Téa smiled.

"**I am having a party tomorrow for the holidays. Stay, you might have fun,"** she said looking back at Yami.

For a brief second their eyes locked and Yami blushed and turned away. Akina grinned and turned to the others.

"**Will you please stay?" **Mokuba pleaded.

"**I guess it wouldn't hurt,"** Mai sighed.

At that moment there was a ring at the door. Akina turned quickly and ran down the vestibule. An impatient knock came shortly before she swung the door open.

"**Wh-What are you doing here Mr. Kaiba?"** she asked her boss, surprised that he showed up so suddenly.

"**I came to tell you that we closed the deal," **he said gloomily.

Today was supposed to be her day off so she wasn't wearing a suit like she normally did. He noticed how the red hints on her clothes brought out her eyes and quickly turned away to his limo before he noticed anything else.

"**Uh, Kaiba!"** she called to him, practically jumping out the door.

He turned to see her standing a few feet away holding her hand out as if to say something.

"**I'm having a holiday party tomorrow and I think you should come,"** she said almost whispering.

She was afraid of what he would say. He usually made smart remarks at people who invited him to parties that weren't work related. He was silent. She sighed and started to turn back to the house, she looked over her shoulder.

"**I just thought that you should come for Mokuba's sake. You need to spend more time with him," **she said coldly and started to walk into the mansion.

"**I'll come… for Mokuba,"** he said after a long pause.

A smile appeared on her light pink lips.

"**Tomorrow night at seven, casual," **she said waving at him as she continued into the house.

She walked back into the house with Seto on her doorstep wondering what he just did. _'Why did I say I would come?' _he asked himself. Ayame shut the door behind the smiling brunette and followed her back into the dining room with Hiroshi. She entered the room and saw that the others were still gathered around the table.

"**If you would like, I can show you to your rooms now,"** she said gracefully as she smiled at the large group of visitors.

She led the group down the hall and up the large staircase. The others seemed to take notice to the eggshell walls with golden trim. Mokuba and Iva were telling me about their day at school and she wasn't really paying much attention to the large group examining her wondering how she was a spirit of a Millennium Item.

"**I aced a math test today," **Mokuba smiled.

Akina bent down and touched his nose with the tip of her finger.

"**I'm not surprised. You are extremely smart," **she laughed.

While she was talking to the others and their height level Téa turned to Ayame.

"**Is she related to him or something?"**

Yami and the others turned around to wait for the maids answer. They had noticed that she was extremely nice to him considering who his brother was. Not many people like Seto and it was hard to imagine Mokuba at school with his brother's reputation. She looked over the group and saw her mistress laughing and smiling at the children.

"**Ms. Hanari loves children. Many people love her too even if they know who she works for."**

"**Then why does she not have-" **Tristan began

"**A boyfriend? Mr. Hiroshi and I have tried to get her into a relationship, but she never agrees. Many men have come by and asked her to accompany them to parties and such, but she would always reply the same. 'I am honored but I apologize, I simply can't go.' But Ms. Hanari is a pleasant woman to be around. But out of all the people that adore her, the children love her the most," **she explained.

Yami looked back at the young woman and saw that she was hugging both children and smiling. She stood noticing that he was looking and gestured down the hall.

"**I apologize, Your rooms are down this hall," **she said grabbing the children's hands and led them down the brightly lit passage.

The others followed quickly wondering what rooms could possibly be in the huge home. She stopped at an intersection and pointed down the east and west hallways.

"**Take your pick."**

Joey and Tristan gave each other a sly smile and ran past the tall brunette and almost knocking her over. She laughed and watched as the two boys searched room after room, picking out features that they liked. Mai walked gracefully down the other hall followed by Téa, while Yugi and Yami continued down the hall that the other two went down.

"**Yami, follow me," **she said pointing down the opposite south hall.

He stopped and turned on his heels to continue behind the girl. The hall that she led him down was dark and had only one door at the end. She turned and noticed that Yami was walking slower and slower the closer that they were to the large door. She smiled and grabbed his hand and tugged him faster.

"**You're not **_**scared**_** are you?"**

He smirked at the assumption but was still dragged to the door. Akina gently pushed on the handle and let the light from the other end of the passage spread a faint ray of light into the dark room. She stepped in, completely disappearing for a moment. Yami felt her pulling on his arm but refused to step into the unidentified black room. Then light replaced the black and he could see her slender figure still holding his hand and pulling. He stepped in and took a look around the room. It was filled with weapons of all sorts and gold coins and treasure against a wall. Artifacts from ancient Egypt were strung across the room. He stood in the center and marveled at the beauty of the room.

"**This is my sanctuary, I keep all of my memories here. You can stay here, if you have any questions my room is down the hall, fourth door on the left," **she said while exiting the room.

"**Thank you, I will," **he nodded, eyes wide staring at her.

She had an amazing collection, but to them it wasn't a collection, it was history. Some that could possibly help him uncover some of his unknown past. She shut the door quietly and he could see Mokuba and Iva standing behind her. He smiled at the image and turned to notice the large bed canopy bed. The fabric was a deep tyrian purple with golden fringe. The pillows were long and the sheets satin. Yami sat on the edge and examined the artifacts from afar._ 'It reminds me but does not tell me,' _he thought. He spent a few minutes like this until he heard a knock at his door. He slid off the bed and walked slowly to the door. He cracked it open and saw her standing there with a plate of cookies smiling through the crack.

"**I thought that you'd be hungry," **she said as he opened the door to let her in.

"**Hiroshi told me that you came after Joey and Tristan devoured all the food, plus you've been in here for three hours without even a word," **she laughed as she placed the plate on his bedside table.

'_Hours?' _he thought. _'It felt as if though she just left me in here five minutes ago.' _She noticed his silence and faced him, arms crossed staring into his eyes again. She snickered and turned to grab a cookie.

"**What was that for?"**

"**It's not supposed to tell you. You have to tell yourself,"** she said biting a piece of the cookie and then turning to see his reaction.

"**I may be flesh and blood, but I still have the traits of a spirit. I never age, I obtain the powers of the Millennium Bands," **she said holding up her wrists after a few more moments of silence.

He watched her look around at her treasures, seeming pleased with the past. She came closer to him as she finished off her cookie.

"**Don't spend all of your time searching for it," **she said as she placed her soft hand on his shoulder.

She suddenly appeared in the doorway resting her hand on her waist and the other on the door.

"**The past will always be there. More is created every passing day. Come on, I have a surprise," **she said nodding her head to the intersection they had crossed earlier.

He walked out and saw that the others were waiting for them. Mai and Joey were laughing about something. Yugi and Téa were having a conversation while Tristan stood behind them listening. Ayame hurried to meet them with Hiroshi by her side.

"**Now what's this surprise you were talking about Akina?" **Tristan asked towering over the short girl.

"**I'm taking you guys out. I'm taking you shopping for the party tomorrow and after you guys can do whatever you want. Yes there is a buffet in town," **she answered Joey's unasked question.

His eyes lit up and both of the boys charged at her. They hugged Akina, lifting her off of the ground.

"**What are we waiting for?"** she yelled dragging all of them down the stairs and out of the mansion.

The group piled into a limo and drove into town. Yami sat on the outside with Yugi not talking, just pondering what Akina had said earlier. They arrived in town and were dropped off in front of a large row of department stores.

"**Just out of curiosity, what do you remember?"** she asked trying to start up a conversation.

"**That I was Pharaoh, but I don't remember anything else," **he said looking her in eyes.

Akina's felt her stomach turn. She had to leave soon. Mokuba and Iva were at her side and she immediately turned to them for sanctuary from the haunting memories that came washing over her.

"**You have money for the arcade right?" **she asked pulling a smile across her face that seemed to hurt.

As soon as the word left his lips she faced Mai and handed her a credit card.

"**Everything is on me. I have some… business I have to take care of," **she choked.

The group walked into the first store and as soon as they were out of sight, she ran. She jogged down the street and turned a corner to the park. The fountain was shaped as the three Blue Eyes White Dragons, Seto's favorite card. The water no longer splashing because of the weather and the night sky shined with stars. She sat at the edge of the marble structure and placed her face in her hands. She breathed deeply, almost hyperventilating. Once she started to settle down she stood up and started to pace in front of the fountain. What Yami had said made her feel just as she did 5,000 years ago. _'Thank god he doesn't remember,'_ she thought as her sigh broke the silence in the dark night. It was cold that night and there was another chance of snow.

"**What are you doing here?" **a familiar voice asked from behind her.

She jumped up and clenched her hands into fists. But as she looked up, she saw the light sapphire blue eyes looking down at her.

"**Mr. Kaiba! Uh- I was out for a walk. And what about you?" **she asked in return.

"**I was going to the office," **he said bluntly as passed the stunned woman.

She shivered as the air grew colder and Seto placed his metal suitcase on the ground. He pivoted and swung his jacket off of his shoulders and onto hers. She grabbed it and hoped that she was dreaming or imagining things. It was very unlike him to do something for others. But his hands left her shoulders not taking the coat back. Akina smiled and turned to watch him walk farther away. He looked back and saw her staring.

"**I'm going to be late for the party tomorrow," **he said noticing her smiled fade.

"**But I **_**will**_** be there," **he reassured her.

And then he was gone. She hadn't noticed the time but it was about ten and Mokuba and Iva had a certain bedtime even on the weekends. The teen made her way back to the corner she had come around earlier and turned it sharply. Yami felt her ram into his side and grabbed her before she fell on the ground. Akina flushed red and saw that the limo had pulled up and the others were getting in. Yami pulled her up and helped her into the limousine. Mokuba and Iva eyelids were getting heavy and both were slowly slipping into sleep. But before he closed his eyes the young Kaiba saw his brother's coat wrapped around Akina's arms. They made their way back to the mansion and Yami Tristan grabbed Iva and Akina reached over and took Mokuba in her arms. He looked peaceful as she walked in the door that Joey graciously opened. She took him up to his room and placed him on the dark blue duel monster sheets. As she pulled the covers over him his eyes opened slightly. Yami passed the open door and couldn't help but overhear their conversation.

"**Are you and Seto dating?" **he asked,, and the question almost made Yami gasp.

"**Oh, did I wake you? I apologize," **she said trying to avoid the question.

"**That's my brother's coat, why were you wearing it?"**

"**I passed your brother and he thought that I was cold so he gave it to me out of kindness," **she lightly smiled.

Yami stumbled back. Kindness? He leaned in closer and almost had his ear pressed to the wall.

"**He's going to come to the party tomorrow. Are you excited?"**

"**My brother doesn't like Yugi, what if-?"**

"**I will make sure that they won't even see each other," **she said placing a finger on his lips.

"**Now get some sleep," **she said placing her pink lips against his forehead.

He smiled and settled back into his bed. She walked over to the light switch and looked back at Mokuba, who was smiling as his mind slipped into the peaceful night. She shut the door and made sure the light was off before turning to face Yami. She was surprised.

"**Did you have something to ask?"**

"**Actually I have several questions," **he said looking deep into her blood tinted eyes.

"**Then lets go to my quarters,"** she said as she made her way around him.

He followed her into the room and noticed that the lights were dim. She walked across the room to find the lamp that sat next to her reading chair. A large window led out to a balcony that overlooked the rose gardens behind the manor. She turned and reached for his hand.

"**Now shall we proceed to my real chambers,"** she smiled as if this was normal.

Unwillingly he reached for her hand and saw that she was taking off her golden bands. The slender chains brushed her wrists and glistened with the light of the lamp. She took off the second band still resting her hand on his. Once it left her skin the room went dark. Yami blinked and then Akina was sitting in a deep red bergère chair with a book in her hands. He was also sitting on abergère chair across from her. She shut the book gently and let it float out of her hands through the air. She rested her arms on the armrests and crossed her legs. Yami relaxed into the chair and searched the room for any signs of the other world.

"**Let the questioning begin," **she said looking up from her bare wrists.


	2. Answering the Questions

**Answering the Questions**

**Chapter Two**

The room was dark and it made Yami feel uneasy. He leaned forward in his chair and saw that she was different. Not physically, but her aura seemed different. She was confident and silent, expecting to get right to the point. Annoyed by his procrastinating, she took a deep breath and looked deeper into the darkness around her. It saddened her and it was noticeable. Yami followed her gaze but again saw nothing but darkness. Akina turned to him and again waited for his questions.

"**Where-?" **he began but was interrupted by her velvet voice.

"**I know of your past. But I can only tell you certain things," **she said placing her finger on her temple as if to be thinking.

He was still silent so she began again.

"**You cared for your people and were showed great respect because of it," **she smiled.

"**How do you know all this?" **he asked keeping his tone professional.

"**That is no concern of yours. You had friends deep within the palace but many were defeated in battle," **she answered quickly.

He was startled by her response. But she kept her face was like a statue, no expression crossed her face. The previous Pharaoh stood and was waiting for her to answer another of his unasked questions. She knew what he was going to ask so she simply replied what she wanted him to accept.

"**What do you see around you Pharaoh...? Nothing? That is because even I refuse to look back at my memories. Why should I let you observe them? But I still see them within the depths of my mind, they haunt me to this day," **she said standing from the dark green chair.

"**Then can you tell me how you and Iva met?" **he asked hoping that this was a question she would answer.

"**If you no longer have any questions about your past then it is pointless to stay here," **she said reaching into the air.

Her bands rematerialized around her wrists and then they were back at the mansion. The room was the same: dark with a reading chair facing the balcony, large double doors leading to the bathroom, and the red and black satin sheets still lay on the bed. She sat on the edge of the bed facing him. She looked normal to him, different than when they were in the corridors of her mind. Her innocent smile was appearing on her light face. She opened her mouth to speak and saw that he was examining her. She closed her mouth and rolled her eyes.

"**Forgive me, the discussion called for extra precautions, but if you wish to discuss how I came to this world that shall be fine… but nothing more," **she said referring to her life 5,000 years ago.

"**Then how did you?" **he asked leaning on the bed post across from her.

"**Iva found me in the back of an abandoned storage building. I protect her with my life as I would anyone else," **she smiled looking out at the full moon that graced the night sky.

He head whipped around to her door and she sprung off the bed.

"**Excuse me Iva needs to speak with me," **she said leaving the room.

Yami slowly walked to the door and watched her walk quietly down the hall. His curiosity sparked and he shadowed her until she turned a corner and noticed him from the corner of her crimson eyes.

"**You can come too. I just thought that you would be bored with the discussion that we are going to have."**

"**We'll see," **he whispered as he caught up with her.

She stopped before a door and gently knocked. There was a soft 'come in' and then Akina gradually opened the door. Iva sat up in her bed tears streaming down her delicate face. Akina's eyes shot open and rushed to her side.

"**Are you alright? Did you have another dream?" **she asked with even more concern than her face showed.

The frightened girl simply nodded her head and hugged Akina. Tears landed on her sleeve and she brushed her hand over the girl's light brown hair. Yami stood in the background perfectly still and silent. She motioned him to come to her side and he paused for a moment not really sure if that was the best idea. But she looked over her shoulder and smiled at him with the small girl's face buried into her chest. She pulled Iva back up and sat on her left side, holding her hand. Yami stood next to her watching her whisper in the small girl's ear. He felt out of place. He didn't have that much experience when it came to socializing so he simply watched Akina comfort the frightened child. The young woman moved to the other side of the bed and let Yami sit on the edge of the bright pink sheets.

"**Will you feel better if I stayed with you for a while?" **she asked smiling at the troubled girl.

She nodded then hiccupped. Akina laughed and rested her head against the headboard. She hummed a lullaby for a few minutes and waited until Iva's eyes were closed and her breathing returned to normal. Once she was calm, Yami helped her off of the bed and walked with her over to the door.

"**Why do you love children so much?" **he whispered still in awe of how well she handled the crying child.

Akina smiled and flipped off the lights. Both of them stood in front of the door. Yami looked down at the motherly young woman and saw that she had a small different smile than what she showed the others. She gazed at the sleeping girl and slowly shut the door.

"**They remind me of my childhood. The precious memories that I used to harbor in my mind still linger there but they will never return fully,"** she sighed.

"**Why won't they?" **he asked feeling sympathetic for her.

"**I refuse to let them," **she replied biting her lip.

Yami stared at her. _'What could have happened in her past that would cause her to do such a thing?' _he thought. She walked back down the hall leaving Yami in shock. Here he was trying to remember the past, but she was pushing her memories farther and farther away. Akina walked slower to her room than what she normally would. Before long, she would forget her past and live without the pain that she held inside of her. Yami caught up with her and they returned to the darkened room. The moonlight faded as it came closer to the doorway and she walked over to the reading lamp to turn it on.

"**You have more questions about me right?" **she asked as she walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

"**Yes," **he said through the maroon colored door.

"**Ask away,' **she said opening the door quickly.

She was already changed into a black and golden trimmed silk robe. Akina passed him and took her place in the sangria colored reading chair. He stood arms crossed and eyes piercing into hers. If he couldn't ask about her past maybe he can ask about something about her personal life.

"**You seem to live quite well for a mere assistant," **he smirked.

"**Ah, well Mokuba spends most of his time here so Mr. Kaiba said that he would like to make it like home for him," **she explained.

"**You seem to spend a great amount of time with him," **he said digging deeper and deeper into unknown territory.

"_**Yes**_**, he is my business partner… Yami are you jealous?" **she asked noticing that he didn't make any eye contact since he spoke.

"**Why would I be?" **he asked almost laughing.

But he did feel a little uneasy. He looked back at her and decided to give up on the relationship subject. She had an eyebrow raised waiting for an answer but he quickly changed the subject.

"**How long have you worked with him?" **he asked.

"**About a year. You could say that I climb to the top quicker than most," **she smiled, feeling proud of herself.

"**Ah… How did you acquire so many artifacts for your treasure room?" **he asked trying to get off of the Kaiba subject completely.

"**Do you remember the room we were in earlier? That's were I found them. I used my powers to bring them to this world," **she said placing her hands on the golden bands.

"**These bracelets grant the power of life. I can make any imagination real in the blink of an eye," **she sighed seeming disappointed.

"**But there are side effects. We, for example, still harbor our magical powers from the spirit world."**

"**Is that why you do not accept invitations from men?" **he asked after a long silence.

She stared at him. No one had ever come to that assumption before. Not the ones who knew about her power anyway. Ayame and Hiroshi had never even thought of it and they were practically the only ones who knew except for Iva. She stood, a smile slowly creeping across her lips. Akina walked closer to the balcony and stared up at the moon.

"**You're very intelligent Yami, just as you've always been… You're right. Tell me, what good is it to find love only to never be able to fully live with it?" **she asked turning to the man.

He looked away, knowing that she was right. Loving someone for a short time and then roaming the earth without them sounded dreadful. His eyes shot back to her, remembering what she had just said.

"**Just as I've always been?"**

"**Oh. It seems that I've let something slip," **she smiled.

She walked up to him and rested her hands on his arms.

"**In the past, you have saved me. It was very kind of you back then," **she said giving a small grin but also looking as if she were in pain.

She looked at the time and it now showed that it was midnight.

"**You should go and get some sleep," **she said as she walked around her bed to flip the covers down.

Yami started to walk around the bed to the door when he noticed something shine. He looked down and noticed a small bracelet wrapped around her right ankle. It was made of small clay marbles and a few Egyptian charms. He felt himself stumble. It reminded him. He was a young boy. He sat next to a small girl outside the palace. Akina noticed that he was still in the room and turned to see what had his attention. She followed his eyes to her anklet and immediately pulled the silk robe over it.

"**You need to leave now,' **she said sternly.

"**Where did you get that?" **he asked feeling uneasy.

"**In the past. That's all you need to know, now leave," **she said looking across the room, not daring to meet his stare.

He left slowly, in shock of his flashback. After he was gone, Akina fell to the floor almost in tears. How could she try to forget if he wouldn't stop digging up old memories? She looked down at the bronze beads that draped over her skin. They were smooth as she ran her fingers across them. She remembered that day very well, better than most of the memories she had. They were sitting on the steps above the small pond sheltered by the large columns, but the heat still engulfed them. White sheets of silk hung from the pillars and occasionally rustled in the rare desert breeze. Akina smiled. Even if she refused to keep her memories, that particular one made her happy.

"**It was simpler then," **she said raising her arms so that she could see her golden shackles.


	3. One Party 2x the Romance

**One party, 2x the Romance**

**Chapter Three**

Akina opened her eyes and looked straight at the balcony. She had fallen asleep on the floor, remembering the almost only happy memory she had. She knew that Yami would be asking about the anklet as soon as they were alone. Slowly she rose from the ground, feeling her robe slide off of her left shoulder. Today was the holiday party and she woke at around four o'clock. She walked to the bathroom and started her shower. Everyone was probably fast asleep so she figured that it wouldn't wake anyone. She was thinking of people that she could hook her new friends up with. She liked playing Matchmaker, even though she knew it was wrong for her to butt into other people's love lives. But she liked having a little fun at her parties. _'Yūgi and Téa. Joey and Mai. Tristan was going to be hard. Mokuba and Iva. Ayame and Hiroshi… Now who to pair with Yami?' _she thought to herself, creating a unique plan to get them all together. She heard the door creek open.

"**Iva? Shouldn't you be asleep? Did I wake you again?"** she asked, knowing that Iva was the only one in the house that didn't knock before disturbing her shower.

"**Actually I wasn't sleeping," **she replied.

Akina rinsed the shampoo out of her chocolate hair that looked black when soaked with water. She heard a small sigh come from outside the shower and peered out the curtain. Iva had sat down on the floor, back against the wall, and eyes shut. _'Not again,'_ she thought returning to her shower. She had seen that face many times before. Every time she went somewhere with Seto she would always ask why they didn't go steady. It was simply because Akina was a spirit and Seto was human. Iva was opening her mouth and the Akina had to think of something to say. Anything to distract her from her boss.

"**Can you think of anyone that Yami would get along with at the party?" **she asked knowing that Iva liked matching people up as much as she did.

"**Nope. But you would look great with-"**

"_**Iva**_**, I'm trying to get Yami together with someone, and you know that I don't date. I just host these things," **she moaned, sick of the same thing over and over.

That sparked the little girl's imagination. She shot up and grinned. This was going to be fun.

"**Alright, I'll go think of someone for Yami," **she said disappearing through the double doors.

Akina had just finished her shower as the petite child sprang out of the room. At the time, she didn't really know what the girl was up to. She dried off as usual, only hearing the sounds of the water that dripped down from the showerhead. She turned to see that it was still dark outside. She towel dried her hair and got her party clothes ready. A pair of low rise jeans, and a black low cut shirt with a golden tank top. She slipped on a pair of sneakers and walked down the stairs. She smelled cookies baking and knew that Ayame was busy in the kitchen. She walked in the doors letting the warm air form the oven hit her face. Ayame heard the doors open and quickly turned to see the smile spread across Akina's face.

"**Do you know where the decorations are?" **she asked trying to look around the maid to see the finished product.

"**They are in the storeroom, against the wall. Would you like some help?" **

"**No, no. I can get them," **she smiled appreciating the maids offer.

She left the warm kitchen and felt a small chill after leaving the hot air. The storage room was in the far end of the mansion. She walked through the dining room, down the foyer, through the living area, and around a corner to reach the small door. She loved to decorate for the holidays so she was glad to see the sparkle of the golden tinsel resting against the brown boxes. Hiroshi came by, as usual, and helped her hang the ornament over the banister. She handed him some lights and started placing them around the large fireplace. While Akina was calling some DJs that she knew, Iva whispered something into Hiroshi's ear. He grinned and winked at the girl who then went to go tell Ayame. Akina finished her call and knew that they would come about an hour before the party. They were good friends of hers so she didn't have to have an appointment. That was an advantage for going to so many parties. When she turned she noticed that Hiroshi was still smiling at her.

"**Is something wrong?" **she asked the man.

"**No, nothing," **he replied.

Now Akina was suspicious. But she was too busy for distractions so she continued placing the decorations. She pushed a large table in front of the wall with Ayame on the other side, smiling at her as well. _'Why is everyone smiling so much today?'_ she asked herself. Ayame glanced at Hiroshi and they both knew that she was still stumped. Iva knew that her plan would work out perfectly. She dashed up the stairs and knocked on Yūgi's door. It was about seven now so she knew that he would be awake. He opened the door after a few knocks and she barged in. After Yūgi knew of the idea, she went back to her room and smiled, pleased with her work.

It was about six thirty so the DJs were already there setting up. Ayame was helping her set food out on the table and Hiroshi went to the door and started to let in guests that had come early. Since the guests were coming she decided to go up and tell the others to get ready for the party. While running up the stairs she saw that Iva was ready coming to talk to the guests like she did every party, Mokuba was walking a few feet behind her wearing a suit. Akina stopped him and bent down to his eye level. He had obviously gotten his fashion sense from his brother. Casual didn't mean a necktie

"**You need to stop copying your brother," **she laughed as she unbuttoned the jacket and messed up his tie.

He grinned and thanked her for helping him. She patted his head as she stood to go find the others. Mai and Téa were fixing their hair and of course the guys had been ready since they didn't really care what they looked like. But they looked party ready and Akina started to run through the night in her mind. Yūgi was rather short so if Téa and him danced it would be rather awkward. But she couldn't help herself. She didn't even bother finding anyone for Seto. He would probably just hang out with his brother and stand in the back. But that was all she wanted, for him to come for Mokuba. A workaholic needed some time off. Since she started working there she had never seen him without his laptop. While she was pondering she felt something bump against her, she looked up to see who she had hit, knowing that it was her fault as usual.

"**Oh, I'm sorry… Well it seems that Mai helped you find an outfit after all," **she said noticing Yami's maroon jacket and blue jeans.

It was different from his usual wear and a little too polished for Joey or Tristan's taste. He looked surprised for a reason. And stuttered out the words 'thank you.' Mai walked out of her room followed by the brunette that seemed a little self conscious about her appearance.

"**Alright guys, let's go!" **she called down the hall to the group of men who were waiting.

When they reached the stairs they saw that the room was filled with guests and Akina smiled and waved to every one of them individually. She stopped at a group of people and started talking to them. Yami looked around and saw that the group he had come down with had dispersed into the crowd. Iva saw Yami standing alone and thought that this was her chance. She signaled Mokuba who then walked over to Akina and tugged on her shirt. She bent down and saw that he had some mistletoe in his left hand. She picked him up and walked over to a window. Mokuba reached up and tied the sprig to the top. She pecked him on the cheek and Iva was already dragging Yami over to them. But before she could get there, a line of men had formed in front of her. She blushed and sat Mokuba on the ground.

"**I'm flattered, but I have to go," **she laughed as she walked backwards from the line.

Iva felt her head fuming. This wasn't going as she had planned so far. But she had promised herself that no matter what, Akina would kiss him tonight. She found her talking to some friends from town and listened to her talk before interrupting.

"**Hey, hey, hey. He had it coming. And that's a lesson you won't soon forget. **_**Right Simon?**_**" **she laughed pointing to a blonde teen, who was now flushing red.

"**Akina, Yami doesn't know what mistletoe is!" **the girl yelled making sure she got her attention.

Akina changed her gaze from Iva to Yami. He looked rather confused. Why did Iva care if he knew what it was or not? She grabbed both of them and tugged them back over to where the mistletoe had been hung. Yūgi saw them being dragged and let out a small smile while listening to Téa talk. He knew exactly what was happening and he didn't oppose. The spirit needed a break so he was told not to let him return to the puzzle until the night was over. Iva stopped a few feet from the window, so that they weren't under the sprig, and pointed up to it. Yami followed the small girl's finger and noticed the green plant.

"**It's a plant. If two people stand under it they have to kiss," **Akina smiled still oblivious about the child's plan.

She reached for Joey and Mai, who were only a few feet away and threw them under it. They shot up asking what the hell she did that for, but she gave a mischievous smile and pointed upwards. Both of their heads shot up and Joey smiled and scratched the back of his head, as if not knowing what to do, but Mai was blushing like any normal person would.

"**That's the usual reaction," **she laughed pointing at the two teens.

She started to walk away, knowing that Joey and Mai's night was complete. Iva rolled her eyes and started to wave at the DJ. He would know what to do. Wondering how Tristan was, she scanned the crowd. He was talking to a store clerk from town who's name was Claire. Akina liked the night life so the amount of people who were at the party worked at stores with the night shift. It was about seven and she knew that Seto would be late so she was going to call him in thirty minutes, just so she could confirm his arrival. A slow song started to play and one of the DJs named Mark motioned the spotlight guy over to her direction.

"**Which one of you lucky fellows would like to have a dance with this beautiful lady!?" **he yelled in the microphone as the light hit her.

She laughed and waved her hand, telling them that she would refuse. But Iva was already working, pushing Yami on the dance floor to practically jump out of the crowd. Akina blushed and tried to look for a way out. Hiroshi was blocking what looked like the only exit and was smiling like a child with a new puppy. Yami was searching the crowd, wondering what had just happened and saw that they were standing in front of each other. He held out a hand, hoping that she would take it. He had an idea of what was happening and decided to humor the others.

"**I don't dance," **she said seeming embarrassed at the fact.

"**This is your party," **he replied.

Whenever she went to parties with Seto, they usually stood and talked finances, not danced. Joey saw what was happening and decided that it was pay back for the mistletoe incident. He ran up behind her and 'tripped' causing her to fall forward into Yami. Mai was along with the ride and held his hand the entire time.

"_**Sorry!"**_they said in unison.

Akina laughed knowing that they would do something sooner or later. She hadn't noticed until Yami placed his hand on her waist that they were dancing. She froze, trying not to freak out like she knew she would. Iva and Mokuba were smiling across the floor. Akina saw that Tristan was dancing with Claire, she knew what Joey and Mai were doing, and that was trying to embarrass her. Yūgi and Téa had just started dancing and Ayame and Hiroshi were smiling at each other near the food table. Akina sighed and closed her eyes.

"**It worked out."**

"**What did?" **he asked.

"**If I can't find love that doesn't mean that others can't," **she smiled.

Yami thought it over. _'Was that why she pulled them?' _he asked himself, remembering Joey and Mai's expressions. The lights flashed different colors and he saw that she was still looking around, admiring her work as much as Iva was. White light flashed into the house, causing her to stop moving.

"**Excuse me," **she whispered releasing her hand from his.

She walked to the door and Yami already knew that it was Kaiba. He didn't forget last night when he overheard the conversation. She opened the door with a smile and Yami looked away so that he couldn't see who walked in. Instead he walked to the rose gardens and looked up at the night sky. He would wait until the party was over, then he would ask her some more questions.

"**Mr. Kaiba come in," **she said opening the door wider for her boss.

He was wearing a pair of jeans and a dress shirt. That showed that he knew what casual was but Mokuba had obviously never been to a party without classical music. She saw that he still had his metal case. She took it knowing that his laptop would be locked in it. He reached for it but wasn't quick enough. She started to run up the stairs making sure that he couldn't reach her. He followed, wanting his laptop so that he could finish up some work. She slammed the door after throwing the briefcase into her room. She locked it and turned to see Seto running down the hall. She started to walk down the hall, meeting him halfway.

"**This is a party sir. You can have it back after," **she rolled her eyes at his concern.

"**I need to finish my work," **he said disregarding her expression.

"**You're probably five months ahead," **she laughed.

She started to walk back down to the party so he followed. His brother was waiting for them at the bottom of the staircase. Akina smiled and rubbed his hair, noticing that Iva was smiling a little too much. Mokuba wanted Akina and Seto to date but she had convinced him that it would be very awkward for her at work. The next few hours were spent by talking and, for Akina, watching others dance. It was about twenty minutes after ten when she saw that Mokuba and Iva were still up. They knew that they had a ten o'clock bed time on the weekends, party or not. She walked over to them and grabbed them by the shoulders. Iva already knew that it was late and walked up to her room on her own, Mokuba was a different story. He didn't want to go to sleep unless he was about to pass out on the dance floor. But she dragged him up the stairs and told him to change while she went to tell Iva goodnight. That only took her a few minutes and when she walked out of the small girl's room she saw Seto climbing the stairs. She walked down the hall and took a left to reach his brother's room. He was sitting up in bed with all the lights on refusing to fall asleep.

"**Alright, compromise. If you go to sleep, you can help me eat all of the cookies tomorrow," **she bribed.

His eyes sparkled as he heard the word. He flew backwards and shut his eyes trying to force himself to sleep now. Seto walked in and told him that he would be at work tomorrow and he would pick him up for lunch. He walked out almost turning off the lights, but he saw that Akina was still talking to him. He saw her kiss him on the head and brush his hair out of his face. She smiled and looked as if she was in her own world as she sauntered from the room. As she shut the door she saw a small smile on Kaiba's face out of the corner of her eye.

"**That was nice," **she sighed as she walked toward the corner with her boss.

"**What was?" **he asked not knowing what she had seen.

"**Seto Kaiba, smiling," **she smiled.

"**You didn't see that," **he said sternly.

"**I won't tell anyone… but it was nice to see it," **she admitted.

It suddenly got quiet and she looked toward him wondering why he didn't have a response like he did for anything. He had stopped walking and was watching her. She tilted her head in confusion. She had never seen him act like this. She grabbed his hand and pulled gently trying to get him walking again but it didn't work. Seto was looking down at her in a way he never had before. He couldn't stop himself, he grabbed her and pushed her against the wall gently. She didn't really know that it was coming. His face was centimeters from hers. He looked like he was holding back, but he was failing. Their lips brushed a few times at his fading attempt to stop himself. He finally gave in and kissed her softly. She froze, his hands wrapped around hers and she couldn't do anything to stop him. He pulled away but then started to hug her.

"**Mr.-?"**

"**Seto," **he corrected her with a whisper.

He had started to kiss her cheek and was going toward her lips again. She pulled her hands away and pushed his chest away gently. She was staring at the ground, trying to tell herself that this was a dream. He stopped and grabbed her chin so that he could see her face. She wasn't crying, she didn't look in shock, but she smiled. Seto grinned when he saw it and leaned in again. She turned at the last second so that he would miss but he kissed her neck instead. He kissed her like he had planned for that to happen. She shivered and felt his arms go around her waist, pulling her toward him again. He was warm but that only made her nervous. _'There's only one way to finish this," _she thought as she pulled away from him slightly. She placed her hand around his neck and pulled him down. She kissed him and knew that this would work. He relaxed and loosened his grip around her waist. She pulled away as she felt his hands raise up to cradle her face.

"**Can we keep our relationship professional?"** she asked taking a few steps back.

He was silent. _'What did I just do?'_ he asked himself. Akina smiled an unusual small smile and walked quickly down the hallway. He stood alone, hoping that his outburst hadn't ruined any real chance that he had. Akina seemed to hurry down the stairs and saw that her guests were leaving for the night. Tristan kissed Claire on the cheek and watched her walk out the door. Akina sighed, flashing back to the incident she had had upstairs. She remembered that she had locked his briefcase in her room so she ran back up to get it. He was starting to walk to the stairs when she opened her door. She grabbed the silver case and handed it to him. The others were in the dining room, so she knew that it would be alright to walk him to the door. Mark and the other DJ had just left as they were coming downstairs. She held the door open for him and watched him leave.

"**Seto?" **she said grabbing his arm with her right hand and placing the other on her neck where he had kissed her.

He turned, surprised that she had used his actual name.

"**Thank you," **she smiled.

She didn't really think that she liked him that way, but she thought that it was good that they had set things straight. But Seto didn't think that it was over. He walked to his limo and told the driver to go home. Akina sighed as she shut the door and walked into the dining room with the others. She noticed that Yami was gone and she went to look for him. The others were still talking about the party so she knew that they had fun. She walked through the hall and glanced out the window when she saw him. He sat on a small concrete bench in the garden. She skipped out the door and felt that something was wrong. She walked around the bench and lay down on the ground in front of him. She looked at the moon above them and noticed that Yami was deep in thought.

"**We were best friends," **she sighed.

She could tell that it was no use to try and get him to relax so she chose to tell him now. He broke out of his trance and stared at her.

"**Your name was Atem back then. You were the prince of Egypt when I met you, at about six. My father was the commander of your father's army so I spent most of my time with the soldiers. One day I had to deliver something to the Pharaoh and I walked out of the dungeon for the first time."**

"**You were running down the hall escaping your caretaker as usual. You bumped into me and that was when you asked to be friends. At first I thought that you were just desperate for a friend your own age," **she laughed.

He was staring at her, amazed by her memory. But she wasn't going to tell him everything. At least nothing that would drag up any of her pain. She glanced to see his reaction and then back at the stars.

"**I had to train to become a soldier. My father wished for a son but was still glad when I was born. I was a good fighter but I never wanted to hurt anyone. So I started to sneak away from training and we would meet at the small pond in the back of the palace. That's when you gave me this," **she said pointing to her right ankle.

He remembered that much but it felt like there was something more than that. Some other meaning to the anklet. She stood up and started to walk down the pathway to the fountain across from him. She cradled her face in her hands and let out another sigh. She was happy with the amount of information that she had given and thought that that would serve him well enough. But it didn't.

"**What was your name back then?" **he asked, as if he didn't even care about the other things that she had told him.

"**If I wanted you to know I would have told you," **she said as she started to walk back into the house.

He grabbed her by the arm as she walked near him and stared at her menacingly. She jerked her arm, and was surprised by his strength. She bit her lip and struggled to get the name out. _'What if he remembers more?'_ she asked herself as she thought through the consequences. She wasn't ready for him to remember yet. She still had several memories that were almost out of reach, couldn't he wait for a few more days until they were gone? She opened her mouth slowly, trying to gather up the courage to say it without stuttering.

"**Akemi," **she whispered.

He released his grasp and let her run back into the mansion. He knew that there was something more, but not that. It was apparent that she didn't want him to know for a reason, but was it that terrible? His memories of that day came flooding back. A hot evening as usual and they were about seventeen at the time. They were standing a balcony looking over the desert. Their hoods were pulled around their faces and someone had opened the door and was walking toward them. She grabbed his hand and started to run toward the edge. They jumped off the balcony and landed on a stack of hay that was used to feed the horses.

"**Atem!" **Priest Mahad called down at the two who were laughing.

"**You can't keep running forever. You need to choose,"** Akemi said as she picked a few pieces of hay from her long hair.

"**But I don't want to," **he said as he helped her off of the stack.

"**Well, you need to. You know that your father is in critical condition. Who knows what could happen," **she said, now saddened from the mention of the Pharaoh's illness.

Earlier that month Mahad had told him that he needed to choose his queen in case of his father's death. But Atem had been putting it off and telling him that nothing would happen to his father. But lately he has been getting worse and he knew that he would have to choose.

"**I hear that he's going to set up a few women for you at dinner," **Akemi laughed as she knew that he hated the thought of being set up.

They brushed themselves off and started to roam around the stables. Akemi had liked the horses, so every so often they would come down. But lately they had stopped going, and tried to run away from Mahad and the other guards. Akemi had to charm some of them a few times to get them to release them and she said that it was an art not just a talent. But Atem thought that she was lucky she didn't have to marry against her will. Unless….

"**Akemi?" **Atem asked as they started to leave the stables.

"**Hm?"**

"**Would you be my queen?"**

She started to laugh at the question. Thinking that it was another one of his jokes.

"**I know why you're doing this. You want to bring me down with you,"** she said crossing her arms.

"**Akemi… I'm serious," **he said staring at her.

Akina locked the door to her room and ran over to her bed. As far as she was concerned, this wasn't happening. He didn't remember because he couldn't remember. But she knew that when she told him her name that it was all hopeless. He knew enough, enough to relive it all over again. And she wasn't ready for so much pain at one time. She started to cry. The tears ran down her face and landed on her bands. She hated those bands. If it weren't for them she wouldn't be here right now. She would have been dead for 5,000 years. She saw a shadow come from her balcony and he was standing there knocking on the glass. It was raining now and it was pelting him. It wasn't cold enough for snow that night. She wiped her tears and went over to him. She touched the handle but pulled back before she turned it. Did she want to talk to him now? Could she handle anymore questions? She opened the door, knowing that he would surely catch a cold if she didn't let him in. He closed the door behind him. He stood, soaking wet, in the middle of the room.

"**How did you get up here?" **she asked, trying to conceal her tears.

"**Believe it or not I climbed," **he chuckled.

She didn't find it humorous. She knew that the questions would come again. This time in a bigger wave than the others.

"**What did you say?" **he asked watching her stand quietly before him.

"**Does it matter now?"**

"**To me, yes," **he said wanting to scream.

The silence was eerie and made the air seem heavy around them. After a few seconds all you could hear was the water dripping down from Yami into the new puddle on the floor. Akina went to her bathroom and grabbed a towel from the closet. She threw it to him and stood, again, silently before him. He finally tossed the towel on the floor and walked toward her. Every step he took she took two backwards, not wanting to face the man. She soon hit the door that was across the room a few moments ago. He continued to walk over to her, but all she could do was stand. She stopped him at arms length and took a deep breath.

"**I said yes. Now would you stop doing that?" **the frightened girl asked.

But he smiled and raised the teen's arms wrapping them around his own neck. He inches closer to her and she knew that it was like Seto earlier, only Yami didn't hold himself back. She started to cry again. But this time she didn't know why. She was supposed to be miserable at this moment, but it didn't feel like misery. What was it? His hands brushed against her face as they kissed. Feeling the tears, he looked down at her.

"**I'm sorry," **he whispered.

Akina didn't speak, she felt even more lightheaded than when she was with Seto. She felt herself loose balance and crumbled to the ground. She landed on her knees, feeling the heat come back to her face from embarrassment. He knelt down beside her and let her rest her head on his shoulder. She started to fall asleep, so Yami took her in his arms and was amazed at how light she was. He placed her on the bed and turned back to the door, looking back every few steps to make sure that he wasn't dreaming. He closed the door behind him and saw that the lights were all off in the house so that meant that everyone was asleep. He crept down the hallway and into his room that sparkled when he flipped on the lights. He discovered a few things that night. He knew some new facts about his past, but most importantly, he loved the crimson eyed woman that lived down the hall, fourth door on the left.


	4. Just another Day at the Office?

**Just another Day at the Office?**

**Chapter Four**

Yami walked down the steps looking happier than usual. He strode into the dining room and took the seat across from Akina, who smiled over the table. Joey had already begun eating and Tristan was just coming down the stairs behind Mai and Téa. Akina noticed that Yūgi had saved a seat for Téa and Tristan looked as if in a daze. The only ones who noticed that everyone was daydreaming were Mokuba and Iva. As much as she hated to admit it, Akina did have a nice time last night. Most of his memories were returned but she knew that he would be asking what happened after she said yes. Her smile faded and she rose from her chair, picking up her briefcase beside her. Yami noticed and started to follow her but was distracted by his friends asking how he liked the party.

"**Your usual breakfast, Miss Hanari?" **Ayame asked holding up a piece of toast and a bottle of water.

"**Thank you. I'll be back at around eight thirty tonight, but I might be home for lunch," **she said taking the toast.

She dashed out the door and started to walk down the street. Yami went to the window and watched her walk down the sidewalk, gracefully moving out of the way of an oncoming bicyclist. She was going to work. _'Kaiba,' _he thought. He couldn't stand the thought of her even being in the same sentence as his name. But Akina went to work all the same. It was what she did. She was his partner, and that was all. But Seto had something different in mind. She waited for the elevator, like she did every day, and insisted that others went before her. She did that out of acts of kindness but after last night she just didn't want to see him. But she couldn't delay it forever. Kaiba didn't usually show emotion at work….or ever. When the elevator reached his office at the top floor, it was all normal. Her desk sat outside of his office, the blinds were closed, and his door was closed. Akina looked over at the recycling bin and threw the empty bottle of water into it. She made her way around her desk and saw something bright and crimson in color. A dozen red roses sat in her chair. Roses were her favorite flower but these looked too flawless for any simple garden. A loud noise came from behind her and she almost dropped them.

"**Do you like them?"** he asked, noticing her jump.

"**They are beautiful," **she smiled.

He nodded and then turned back into his office and shut the door... quietly. She was amazed he usually slammed the door early in the morning. _'Maybe he has a headache?'_ Akina remembered that she had a few papers to give him but she was a little afraid to walk into his office. He gave her roses and wasn't even slamming doors. But she decided to take a chance. She could always walk out right? She slowly opened the door and peered inside, still carrying her roses. She didn't see him sitting at his desk so she thought that he was in the bathroom. Quietly she walked in and sat some papers on his desk.

"**Sir, do you need me to get you anything?" **she asked quietly not wanting to give him a bigger headache.

"**No, I'm alright," **he said walking out from behind the door as he closed it.

She turned, feeling stupid for not even seeing him behind the door. He walked over to the couch in front of his desk and placed his head in his hands.

"**Are you alright? You don't look like you slept at all last night," **she said sitting down beside him.

"**I want to apologize for last night," **he said leaning back on the sofa.

"**Please, let's not bring that up," **she replied, quickly standing and walking towards the door.

"**I truly am sorry. I don't know what happened. I just-" **he began, grabbing her arm as her hand touched the handle.

She held the roses close to her face. Trying to hide her blush. She didn't really want a recap of last night but it seemed like he wanted to. She started to pull her arm away and open the door.

"**I'll go and get your coffee," **she said trying to break his grip.

He still held her arm. This was the second time she couldn't break away from someone's grasp. She didn't like that feeling, like someone was controlling her. She felt his arms wrap around her like they did last night. Her heartbeat accelerated as she felt his face come closer and closer to her, even from behind. She moved the roses from her side.

"**Seto, thank you for the flowers, but we should really get to work," **she said knowing that he couldn't resist working.

"**You said it yesterday that I was five months ahead," **he whispered in her ear.

'_Damn it. Why isn't anything happening in my favor today? Or any day?!'_ Just the other day she was taking a shower like a usual Friday and now she was trying to stop someone from knowing her past and keeping her boss at arms length. Which she wasn't successful at, by the way. His breathing was slow next to her ear. The only thing she felt was humiliation. Knowing Kaiba, he probably thought that he had her wrapped around his finger, but Akina knew that. Being partners for a year, you begin to see how they react to situations and he thought that every woman would fall head over heels for him. _'Not this woman!'_ Akina thought as she turned to face him.

"**You are very sweet Mr. Kaiba, but it's going to take more than flowers for me to fall for you," **she smiled as she brushed the petals of the flowers with her fingertips.

He let her go smiling at her response. Not many women would tell him that. He didn't date but when he saw women they usually wanted to date him for his money. But Akina could care less about the money. She didn't like Kaiba but she saw that he didn't want to be alone. The New Year was coming fast and it was a terrible thing to be alone at the beginning of the Year. Akina had only had one New Year celebration since she had been in the waking world. She stayed up all night with Iva and when the clock hit midnight, Iva immediately passed out. The next day was when she applied for a job at Kaiba Corp. She worked at the reception desk in the lobby for a few days until someone in the 'Big Chairs' found out that she was a math genius. Then she gradually started to work with the head himself. He was different now, than he was back then. When they first met he started to walk all over her, but then she told him off and that was when he began to have respect for her. Most people said that she was insane, working for a man like him.

She shifted through the closet next to her desk. A tall vase sat on the top shelf collecting dust, since she had only received flowers once and that was from a hospital because of a donation they had given them. She walked back into his office and to the bathroom. She turned on the water and started to fill the glass. The golden chains from her bands slipped out from her jacket and she had to tuck it back in before Seto had started to lean on the doorframe. She saw him in the mirror and started to laugh.

"**Are you going to follow me every time I come into your sight?"**

He smirked, realizing that what he was doing to stupid. But he came in behind her and grabbed her hand as she was pushing some hair behind her ear. She turned and saw that her hand was already to his lips. She blushed and started to pull her hand away. She said that he would have to do more but she meant stop working to spend time with his little brother, to show that he really cared, not this! He held her hand tightly and started to kiss up her arm. The water started to overflow in the vase and she had to stop the water with her hand that wasn't being attacked by her boss. Akina took her other hand and placed it on the back of his head. He looked up at her confused.

"**You are to stay at arms length at my house and at work. Do you understand?" **she asked sternly.

He nodded. _'Maybe now he understands,'_ she thought to herself as she poured some of the unneeded water from the vase. She walked out of his office, leaving him at his desk with a few more business proposals. She worked at her desk quietly, until the clock read eleven. She said that she would be back for lunch, even though she rarely ever ate. To her there were a lot more important things to do. She could help Ayame clean for a while but she would insist on her doing something else. Hiroshi would be nowhere to be seen, so helping him was out of the question. No one really knew what he did when he would mysteriously disappear. She pondered the options as she rose from her chair and opened Seto's door to tell him that she would be gone for an hour. Seto was sitting on the Dartmouth green couch with his laptop resting on the coffee table in front of him.

"**I'm leaving for lunch," **she said coldly, still annoyed with his previous actions.

She stalked to the elevator and impatiently pressed the down button four times, thinking that it would arrive quicker. It took about a minute but it finally came to save her. She pressed the button for the doors to close and saw that Seto was putting on his coat as the doors were shutting. _'That reminds me, I have to bring his coat back,'_ she told herself, remembering the first act of kindness she had ever seen him do. When she reached the bottom floor, it was packed. Not very unusual for lunch time on a Sunday afternoon. Most people worked through the weekends in this building, but Akina had specifically asked for Fridays and Saturdays off. Unlike the others she didn't live in fear of Seto. She was scared when he acted strange around her like he had been doing nonstop for the past couple of days, but that was new to her. A man held the door open for her and bowed his head as she went by him. The air was cold outside and the clouds still had the same dull gray color they had early that morning. Despite the busy streets, Akina made it home before eleven thirty.

"**Miss Hanari, your guests had left for lunch, except Master Yami. Young Kaiba and Iva are outside" **she said opening the door for the tired teenager.

When ever Ayame called someone 'Master' or 'Miss', Akina would always smile. She was the one who taught her how to be kind to others. Once she looked back on how they met it was funny. Within the first week of her working at Kaiba Corp. Seto had found out that she was living with a girl and her parents, well adoptive parents, in a two bedroom apartment. Iva's parents didn't mind, they actually thought that Akina was a babysitter. They reminded her of Seto, always working and hardly coming home. Seto had come by one day and told her to come with him. That was when she first saw that mansion that she now called home. He had paid for it himself, and even hired Hiroshi and Ayame to help her. So practically everything in the house was Seto Kaiba's. The thought rushed through her head. She had kissed him in _his_ hallway, she had kissed Yami in _his_ room. The idea made her sick. Once she started to get pale, Ayame asked her if she was okay. She said yes but she really wasn't. Seto had done so much for her and Iva. Could he take it all away too? She had seen what he did to people who got on his bad side, so what would he do to her? Akina ran into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water.

"**Is Yami in his room?" **she asked as she screwed the lid off of the plastic bottle.

"**He was an hour ago, but he's been very quiet," **she sighed following her.

She nodded and took a sip of her water. _'What is he doing?'_ she wondered. She started to leave, she was going to check on Mokuba, but Ayame grabbed her and shoved her toward the stairs. She gave a sly smile and motioned her to continue. Akina rolled her eyes but knew that there was no use fighting her. As she walked down the hall, it felt like hours before she came to the intersection. Maybe it was just her? But the darkened hallway that led to his room seemed darker than usual. It sent chills through her body as she came closer and closer to his room. She finally reached the door handle and knocked. Her knock seemed slow and uneven, as apposed to her normal quick, steady, happy beat she normally did. After a few seconds of no answer she decided to speak.

"**Yami? May I come in?"**

Still no one answered. She started to walk away but felt something holding her back. She stopped and turned around, feeling like someone was about to jump her from behind. A large rush of adrenaline pumped through her body. Reaching for the door, she felt her heart beat accelerate. Why was this so hard for her? Last time she came up here, it was very easy. _'But I had cookies then…'_ she thought. But Mokuba ate all of the cookies earlier that morning so she couldn't go down and get some. It would've been a good idea. The smell would distract her just like it had last time. She rested her hand against the wood, slowly pushing it making the door creak. She flinched at the sound. She was trying to be quiet but failing miserably. She peered inside and saw her treasures were untouched, and the plate of cookies from the other day was empty._ (Damn…)_ The Millennium Puzzle was sitting on the bed and Yami was gone. She walked closer to the golden item. Her hand reached out for it, but stopped just inches away. Did she want to invade his privacy? She would enter the spirits chambers just as he did the other day. He could have been thinking about something. She slowly backed away turning to the door. But she kept looking at it, contemplating whether or not she should visit. _'I'll see him later,'_ she thought to herself turning around completely.

"**Did you need something?" **he asked now standing right in front of her.

Her nose almost touched his chest so she took a few steps back.

"**H-how? I thought-" **she stammered, but decided to forget about it.

"**Ayame said that you didn't go with the others so I thought something was wrong," **she shrugged.

He was quiet. Just like always. That was starting to annoy her.

"**Uh, I have about an hour, so if you need to ask anything…"**

"**What happened after I proposed?"**

'**Well, that was it, you proposed. Over the next few days, your father passed on and you were called to battle and I never saw you again," **she sighed.

"**The day you asked, I had to settle down a 'skirmish' with the other soldiers in the town. I saw so much blood that day."**

He examined her. She had tears starting to fall down her face, but they quickly stopped when she lifted her head to face him.

"**You comforted me when I got back, because I was practically in a daze when I did. But then after you left, I saw more blood and so the breakdowns continued, until I really couldn't take it anymore," **she smiled trying to fight back the crying.

She stopped there, knowing that she probably sounded like a soap opera. She walked around him and opened the door wider to see that the others had come back from town. They saw her and waved and she returned the gesture. Mokuba was probably picked up by Seto a few minutes ago so she still had some time to get started on some work. _'I'm starting to sound like Seto…'_ she snarled. As she watched the others part ways and return to their rooms, she felt him walk closer to her. The door swung out of her hand and shut completely.

"**Do you really want me to tell you how I handled it? You would really want me to relive the pain?" **she questioned.

"**No," **he whispered.

'_Why must he do that?'_ she asked herself. When they're alone he always whispered as if someone was listening. It almost made her go weak at the knees whenever he did. Akina heard his breath on her cheek and contemplated if she should turn and face him or just start to leave. The fact that she still thought of this mansion as Seto's made her protest the thought of kissing him right here. She cracked the door open only for it to be pushed back again. He brushed his cheek alongside hers making her blush even more than what she originally was. She felt butterflies gather in her stomach.

"**Do you need to see Kaiba?" **he asked after several speechless minutes.

"**He will be expecting me," **she said trying not to stutter.

"**But… do you**_** need**_** to see him?"**

"**How do you mean?" **she asked almost laughing because she didn't understand.

"**Do you need him… in your life?" **he asked, slightly embarrassed.

"**So you **_**are **_**jealous," **she laughed.

He blushed for the first time and she could feel the heat from his cheek on hers. She smiled and placed her hand around his neck to pull him closer.

"**That's so sweet," **she said after she kissed him.

The door swung open after her comment and she was gone. Yami looked around astonished by her speed. He then saw the clock above the door and it read eleven forty-five. They had stood there for about fifteen minutes after she had spoken to him. But he was still so curious. _'She couldn't take it anymore?'_ She was walking down the stairs when she saw Mokuba still at the door holding his jacket.

"**Mokuba, I thought that you already left."**

"**He is. Would you like to join us?" **a husky voice asked.

Akina froze on the stairs and saw that Seto was opening the door, grabbing Mokuba's hand. She saw the glimmer in the young Kaiba's eyes and almost automatically caved in. She let out a sigh and quickly descended down the staircase, grabbing his other hand and also Kiaba's jacket from the other night from the coat hanger. Seto watched her and noticed that she glanced up the stairway at least three times before they shut the door. She was obviously looking for something as she handed him the jacket. Mokuba saw how he was watching her and a sly smile crossed his lips. _'I should give them some time alone,' _he thought to himself. They went to a small café a few blocks away from their office building. Mokuba forced Akina to take a seat next to his brother and he sat across the table.Akina made sure that she was as far away from her boss that the table could allow. But then Mokuba got up and jumped up between the two, pulling their heads closer together.

"**I'll be right back," **he said walking away.

But of course he didn't. He had called Hiroshi from the payphone outside and he came to get him without Seto and Akina knowing. Seto waited for a few minutes, and after no sign of his little brother he placed an arm around Akina's waist.

"**Arms length," **she said coldly.

"**But we're not a work or in your home," **he said leaning in closer.

'_His home…' _she remembered her thoughts from earlier. The waiter came around the corner and saw them so he eased back into the kitchen with a smile creeping up on his face. Akina pushed him away and stood up. Enough was enough. Without thinking she dashed out of the restaurant and started to walk down the sidewalk back to the office. She swore at herself, how could she not think what she had said earlier through? Nothing stopped her except for him calling her name as he looked around the crowded streets. She slowed down but didn't stop completely. Looking back for a moment she saw him scanning the streets with what looked like fear on his face. She picked up the pace not knowing that he had seen her. He ran up behind her and started to speak but she couldn't hear anything. About two minutes later she was walking through the door to the large office building. She ignored the elevator and decided to take the stairs. Alone in an enclosed space with him was the last thing she needed right now. But he still followed. Once they were on the tenth floor (Seventy more to go…) Seto finally grabbed her and took her down a few steps to eye level.

"**Why do you keep doing that?" **he asked.

"**Why can't we stay exactly the same as we were a year ago?"**

"**Because I don't want to," **he hissed.

The reaction made her paralyzed. What did he mean? He only started acting like this two days ago. It wasn't going to be that hard to go back to normal. Unless he really did have feelings for her.

"**We seemed perfectly content with what happened yesterday," **he reminded her.

She had a feeling that it would come back to bite her in the ass one day. Akina opened her mouth to tell him why she had kissed back, to get away from him, but she knew that it wouldn't be right to hurt his feelings, no matter how much he deserved it. She snatched her hand away and started up the stairs again, trying not to listen to whatever Seto had to say. But one word caught her off guard, it was something Seto had never said in his life. 'Feelings' Akina stopped and looked back, trying to get out a few words but it was pointless. He repeated himself, seeing the confused look on her face.

"**I have feelings for you," **he blushed climbing the stairs.

'_Ahhhhhh shit!' _she groaned to herself. Every step he took she would take one backwards, like she did the other night with Yami. But she knew how that ended. Eventually she hit the wall of the platform glancing up the stairs that were partially blocked by his arm. He leaned in closer but stopped as he saw anger in her eyes, which was rare for her because she always smiled to make others happy. But at this moment she didn't give a damn. The death glare forced him away from her face a few inches. She held her fists to her chest, easy access to the face of her boss. But he placed his free hand on hers and pulled them down. Growing closer to her every second, she reacted by trying to free her hands,-which almost worked if he didn't take his other hand from beside her face to help his other control her. His cell phone started to ring but he didn't answer it. Instead Akina reached for his coat pocket and flipped it open. Placing it to her ear while giving a smirk she replied,

"**Seto Kaiba's phone."**

The reacting made him stop in his tracks. He grew farther from her face again, gathering what information she could from her. Soft mumbles came from the speaker, but she smiled and turned the phone to him, showing the number of an important sponsor that they had been bribing for about a month. Akina felt his hands move from hers and started her way back up the stairs, leaving Seto talking alone on the platform. She swung open a door about two floors up and took the elevator, feeling relief when the doors slid open and showed no sign of Seto. She pressed the top floor button about four times before the doors shut. It was like the stupid thing couldn't go any slower! Stopping on five floors made her jumpy, thinking that Seto had ran up the stairs and caught the elevator on a random floor. She stepped out looking around her making sure that he wasn't waiting for her. When she saw nothing, she casually made her way back to her desk pulling out her mobile phone, to call Mokuba-who was in serious trouble. As soon as she hung up the phone, she heard the elevator 'ping' and saw Kaiba walking out. The roses from that morning were the only thing that she could look at, seeing as how all of the papers from earlier were on _his _desk. Trying not to look at him, she glanced at the west wall, seeing the clock that now read one thirty. A small roll of her eyes caught his attention as he opened his office door.

"**I'm sorry."**

She didn't really respond, she just gave him a nod of her head. He sighed and closed the door, opening his blinds so that he could see her through it. She sat there for hours writing and scribbling out appointments while she answered the phone at least four times every thirty minutes. It was now seven and she did the math out of pure boredom. _'Four times eleven…. I've answered forty-four phone calls in five and a half hours. Uhg!' _She saw the door open out of the corner of her eye. Seto leaned out of the door and had asked her to come in for a moment. She nodded and, once his head was out of sight, started rushing through her desk. After a few seconds she remembered that her pepper spray was back at home sitting on her dresser. She got up and walked in the door, not completely shutting it behind her. Akina slowly walked to stand in front of his desk, which had a deep auburn color. She sat down in the chair across from him, hoping that she wasn't being fired.

"**I would like for you to accompany me to the charity fund this Wednesday."**

"**Sir I always come with you to these things. It's my job, remember?" **she laughed not really understanding his proposal.

"**But this time, I don't want you to come as my business partner. I would like you to be my date," **he smirked.

"**Ahhhh, well…" **she weighed her options which weren't many.

It was either go with him or risk getting fired.

"**I will accompany you to the charity fund," **she answered trying to sound as serious as possible, hoping that he would understand her tone.

He smiled and said that she could go home for the night. He was going to stay again, like he did every night. Akina knew that she had to get home to put Iva and Mokuba to bed. They had school tomorrow and so did her guests… All except Yami. He didn't really need to go to school seeing as how he was trying to figure out his past. Maybe tomorrow would be a good time to tell him a little more about Akina's past, if she could stomach it that is. She turned to her boss as she opened the door to leave.

"**Would it be too much trouble if I took a personal day tomorrow?"**

"**No, you may. But remember to get here early Tuesday, we have people coming for another business proposal," **he said typing away on his computer.

She smiled and made her way to the elevator, glancing back at the beautiful flowers he had given her that morning. As the doors shut she saw him looking at her through the glass door, smiling again. She didn't really know what he was smiling for but she was just happy to see it. But he smiled for that exact reason. To make her happy.

**``R&R…PLEASE!**


	5. Very Personal Day

**Very Personal Day**

**Chapter Five**

It was Monday morning and Akina had woken up with the normal sound of her screeching alarm at five o'clock. Ayame knocked on her door and opened it slowly as she sat up from the soft covers.

"**Good morning," **Ayame sang as she pranced through the doorway, placing a cup of tea on her nightstand.

"**You seem happy this morning. Did Hiroshi finally ask you out?" **Akina asked knowing their feelings toward each other.

"**N-no," **she stammered, blushing.

But the teen just smiled and grabbed the tea that Ayame had brought up with her. She didn't care for tea much, but it made her friend happy to see her take a break from coffee. But to her nothing was compared to coffee. She sipped the hot liquid quickly so that the heat would wake her up. She wiped the sleep from her eyes as Ayame spread the curtains open, letting in what little light there was for the morning. She had to help Mokuba and Iva get ready for school like she did almost every day. She ran to the bathroom and took a quick shower, since she had lost a few minutes to drinking what she wished was coffee. After her shower, she dressed in a pair of white low rise jeans, a light blue shirt, and a denim jacket. She quickly ran to Mokuba's room and saw that he was putting on his uniform, while Iva was already downstairs eating breakfast. _'Complete opposites,'_ she snickered to herself as she closed the young boy's door. She made her way to the kitchen and saw Iva sitting in the breakfast nook staring at the toaster across the room. A loud pop caught Akina's attention and she grabbed the slice of toast while it was in the air.

"**You have cat like reflexes!" **the girls yelled as she jumped up for the food.

She smiled and handed the girl the toast. A loud bang was heard from upstairs and Akina ran to the stairs to see if it had woken anyone up. But it was only Mokuba slamming his door because he hated mornings. It was only seven and he was still tired even when he got up at six thirty. She always made them get up early because he was always hitting the snooze button on his alarm clock. She greeted him with a smile and got a low grunt in return. _'He is so much like his brother in the morning,'_ she thought. It was true. Only his attitude in the morning was Seto's all-day attitude. He reached for a glass of milk and sat down across from Iva, who was glaring at him. After they finished their breakfast, she walked them to school like she did every morning. It only took them a few minutes to get to the school. Akina always took them to the front door where she was greeted by several teachers daily. Most of them thought that she was the mother of the two children but she had explained to them several times that she was only a care taker, and that she was just seventeen. But oddly today she wasn't greeted by the yapping, ear-bleeding, sounds of teachers. The teen leaned down and helped Iva straighten her jacket that she threw on in a hurry, and gave each one a kiss on the head.

"**Akina, I'm going to go to my other home today to see my big brother after school."**

"**And I'm going to my other home too," **Iva stated after Mokuba.

She grinned when they said 'other home'. It was touching that they called it that. But it was also rather sad that they didn't spend as much time with their families. She shooed them off and watched as they pranced off to class. She had never gone to school, but it sounded easy. Math and Science seemed very easy. She loved to read so she thought that she had the Language part of academics. History was a different story. She didn't even want to remember her own history, why would she want to hear about someone else's?

"**You are quite motherly," **a velvet voice commented as she rose from the ground.

"**Yami, did you follow me all the way here?" **she asked raising a brow.

He blushed, knowing that showing up here did make him seem rather stalker-ish. But Akina thought that it was sweet compared to the other guy who kept attacking her with sick romance every time they met. Yami didn't show up with flowers or assaulted her hand with kisses, but she liked it when he blushed. She took him by the hand and led him out of the courtyard. This was her day off so she told herself to live a little.

"**This place is really pretty in the morning," **she said walking down a path in the park.

The path was pilled with snow and the tree branches against the sky looked pure black, but glistened as the sun hit the ice that had frozen overtop of them. There was a large fountain at the end of the path that seemed miles long. After a while, the shine of the silhouette branches above were hindered by the clouds that eventually blocked the sun. Yami shoved his hands in his pockets and trudged in the snow beside Akina. The silence was starting to get to her so, before she felt like exploding from awkwardness, she spoke.

"**So you probably want to talk, huh?"**

Their eyes locked for a moment before he nodded his head. Akina removed her gaze from his violet orbs and tried to focus on something else because, like his whispers, his eyes made her go weak at the knees too. To her they were a sea of soft purple that seemed to attract everyone, unlike her blood crimson eyes that stared into souls. Yami on the other hand was attracted to her eyes that she seemed to hate as much as her bands that imprisoned her spirit. They could hear the snow crunch behind them and Akina automatically jumped and grabbed Yami's arm. She froze, shocked at the movement she had just did. She pulled away but was stopped by his hand that pulled her back in. Her face flushed red as his hand met hers. The noises continued behind them and slowly they quickened. They both turned and Yami was shocked at who was pursuing them. Akina noticed his expression and knew that they must have known each other from somewhere, but their stalker looked-how she would put it-steroid scary. He continued toward the two, glaring at Yami. Fear built up in Akina and she bit her lip trying to conceal her scream. But Yami noticed and started to speak to the man.

"**Bandit Keith? Why are you here?"**

"**No reason. And who do we have here? The pleasure is all mine," **he said taking Akina by the hand.

"**That's good. Because it's certainly not mine," **she said tugging her hand back and resting it on Yami's shoulder.

The sound of his voice made her skin crawl. And the fact that he was hitting on her made her want to throw up like when she was with Seto. Anger spread across Keith's face and Akina seemed to shrink behind Yami. But he simply turned and led her down the path. But Keith yelled after them.

"**If it's not too much trouble, I would like to take this girl off of your hands."**

Yami froze and glanced down at her expression. It was full of fear and disbelief, so he couldn't let him take her. But even if she didn't show those certain expressions he still wouldn't have let her go with him. He looked back over his shoulder, seeing the smug look on Keith's face.

"**Actually it would be a problem. You're interfering with our date,"** he yelled back.

She could feel her eyes widen and her mouth drop, but nothing came out. She repeated the word in her head, _'Date'_. She never thought that this was a date, but she knew that Yami was very crafty with words, so she figured that he was just saying that to get him to leave her alone. She blanked out for a moment, pondering in her own thoughts. But she came back when she realized that they were moving again. She looked behind her and saw that Keith was nowhere to be seen, so she released the tension in her shoulders. A puff of air appeared in front of her from her sigh and she looked up and saw that Yami looked very serious. _'Did I do something?'_ she asked herself. He looked down at her but she had already turned her head to try to remember the past few minutes. But they were blank, all she could remember was her own thoughts and how Yami said the word 'date'. But that didn't tell why he looked so annoyed. She had decided that he was just frustrated by the fact that an old enemy had come back. She pulled her hand off of his shoulder and pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear. Her sleeve was pulled down and showed the golden design of her Millennium Item. She rolled her eyes and flipped her arm so that they were hidden again. They had finally come to the fountain and Yami pulled her down to sit beside him.

"**Are you alright?" **he asked noticing her daze.

"**I'm fine… that was quick thinking back there. You know with the date thing," **she said trying to control her breathing.

"**I thought that this was a date?"**

"…**Well that's what I thought. But when you told that guy back there I guessed that it was just to get him to leave,"** she spoke nervously.

"**If this is a date, what are we doing here?" **she asked after a few minutes of eerie silence.

She grabbed his hand and tugged him through the park. After a few minutes of walking, they had come to the library. Sure it wasn't a date worthy place, but Akina didn't go on many dates and this would be a good place to talk about history... maybe. She walked up to the librarian and flashed a large smile. She came here on her days off when Mokuba and Iva weren't with her. A lot of people who worked there waved as she led Yami to the back where most of the science fiction was and sat down at a dusty table. She motioned for him to take a seat while placing her feet on the desk.

"**About a week after you left, I went into the desert, hoping that the heat would eventually get to me," **she said moving her hands from her pockets to the back of her head.

Yami was shocked. Just thinking about her roaming the desert alone trying to end herself made him uneasy.

"**But I don't want you to think that it was your fault," **she said wagging a finger at him.

"**You should remember Seth, your cousin. It was mostly his fault. He kept reminding me that you weren't there anymore. But after I passed out from the heat, someone saved me," **she winked trying to ease Yami's now queasy stomach.

'**Do you know who?"**

"**No… But to tell you the truth if I did know who it was, I would kill them. I had a very rough time being shipped across the world after I was imprisoned in this so-called treasure. Being flown in and shipped around, high class or not, gives you a damn migraine," **she smirked.

Yami couldn't help but chuckle at her comment. It was nice to see that she wasn't so serious about her past as she used to be. But that was only because she was trying her hardest not to show any pain. She decided to skip on all of the fights and blood she saw in those few weeks that he had been gone. The thought of the battles made her lightheaded. And she had to slam her hand on the table to catch herself from falling out of the chair. The librarian walked by and saw her falter and asked if she needed anything to drink, but Akina took a deep breath and started to stand. Yami grabbed her by the shoulders just to make sure she didn't hurt herself. She could feel her face heat up again and stated that it was probably a fever. (Good cover, right?) A few minutes later, Yami had led her to a café, where he commanded her to eat something. But all she asked for was hot chocolate. Maybe she needed some chocolate? As the waitress sat the cup before her, she smiled at the two and said that it was such a nice day to be out. But as soon as she left, Yami actually started talking.

"**Did you know that Seto is the reincarnation of my cousin, Seth?"**

"**W-well, that explains my h-hatred toward him," **she said recovering from the hot liquid that almost choked her.

They laughed together, not knowing that the other loved it when they did. Instead of telling him about her past, she asked if he could tell what had happened since he had met Yūgi. He told how they met and how he had made enemies.

"**Amazingly, I don't have many enemies," **she said placing her cup down on the table.

"**I don't see how you could. You seem to make friends with everyone," **he chuckled.

She grinned and after a few more minutes of talking, they left. It was about four now and the streets were full of students and workers. A man, not very aware of his surroundings, bumped into Akina after they walked out of the door. She stumbled back but Yami stopped her before she could fall to the ground. She pulled herself back up still holding onto his arms.

"**Thank you," **she blushed.

"**I should really be thanking the man who pushed you."**

The group of teens that had been staying with Akina walked by and saw them. Yūgi started to walk up to them but Téa and the others had to pull him back, seeing as how this was a good chance for a love life for the spirit. Yami took her hand and started down the sidewalk. He held her by his side and noticed that a group of boys standing by a game store were giving him a dirty look. It started to snow and he placed an arm around her. The motion startled her but she soon grew used to the fact that she was on a date with a guy that she really did like. They were so into the date that the two didn't notice that the others were following them. Joey and Tristan had a sly smile on their faces and started to chuckle. But Téa and Mai had to smack them in the head so they wouldn't blow their cover. Yūgi was leaning around the corner watching every move that the two were making. The feeling of relief came over him when he realized that the spirit was having a good time. He didn't really know if he was remembering his past but he didn't really care about that at this time. After walking back to the mansion, the others watched as the two lovebirds walked through the door. After waiting a few minutes, the group walked in and Mai automatically went to Ayame, who was more than happy to spy on the two for them. But Akina thought that she would be free of the spies, seeing as how Iva and Mokuba were gone for that day. Yami had followed her into the living room and sat in front of the fireplace.

"**So how did you think today went?" **she asked out of pure curiosity.

Like Yami, she had never been on a date so she wouldn't know what a date should feel like afterwards.

"**It was probably the best day I've had."**

While Yami was talking, Akina saw seven heads peer around the wall. Yes, even Hiroshi couldn't help eavesdropping. She started to laugh and waved her hand for them to join them. The women slapped the men in the heads and started yelling that it was entirely their fault. They all settled on the couches and Akina was pulled onto the couch with the three ladies and Yami had been heaved in with the men. Both teens stared at each other for a moment before Akina winked at him. He relaxed into the couch, knowing that she had a plan that would surely get them to leave again.

"**Mai, are you pregnant?"**

The chatter stopped and the next thing you heard was Mai yelling 'no' and Joey claiming that it wasn't his. The argument caused both sides of the room to stand and argue with the other. Yami snatched Akina's hand and led her down the foyer. They stopped for a moment to catch their breath before talking again.

"**That was clever."**

"**I learned from the best,' **she giggled.

They walked down the hallway and turned up the stairs, still listening to the bickering coming from down the hall. They were snickering at the names that Mai was calling people as they walked. Akina had never had this much fun in her life. But as soon as the two people came to her room the laughter seemed to disintegrate. A sigh came from her and she lifted her hand to the door handle unwillingly. Yami felt his smile fade and gazed at her face. She made a shy smile and opened her door wider. Akina felt him grab her hand as she started to walk in. It was almost the same way Seto held her hand but she actually liked it this time. His hand was warm and soft, but she knew that it wouldn't last forever. He felt her pulling away so he didn't fight her. But as her hand left his, she felt cold again. At first she thought that he had left but he was still standing at the door watching her. He reached up and cupped her face in his hand. She had to admit, this felt better than him holding her hand. She closed her eyes, happy with the feeling of his skin against hers. She felt his lips touch hers and wasn't surprised that she was kissing him back. His hand moved from her face down her arm to hold her hand again. When he broke the kiss, he rested his forehead against hers.

"**Good night," **he whispered.

'_Again…'_ He walked down the hall and she watched him leave. In the background she could hear the others still bickering downstairs. As she watched Yami leave her sight, she heard something that Téa had said. Yami heard her giggle and started to feel regret for leaving before he could hear her laugh one more time before his night ended.

**R&R**


	6. Taking Breaks

**Taking Breaks**

**Chapter Six**

The next morning was the same as Sunday, only this time Mai was fussing about how weird it was to say that she looked pregnant. But the teen didn't really listen, she was too busy thinking about last night. Yami had taken his usual seat across the table from her and was doing the same thing. Tristan was daydreaming, probably still about Claire from the dance. Yūgi and Téa were chatting and Joey was shoving his face without his usual partner who he had decided to give up on since he wasn't showing any attention to the real world. Ayame had come to the table handing Akina her briefcase. She stood, her smile fading, and grabbed the handle. As usual the chains from her Millennium Item slipped out but Akina had grown accustomed to pushing them back up before anyone noticed… well almost anyone. Ayame rolled her eyes at the scene. She had seen this everyday since she had learned about the bands and it was starting to annoy her that Akina didn't listen to her advice and push the bands farther up her arm.

"**Don't nag me this morning Ayame. I'm going to have a terrible day today and horrible night tomorrow," **she sighed.

The others turned their heads at her statement. They knew that working with Kaiba was no walk in the park, but what about tomorrow night? Yami's violet orbs widened in attention to the teen. She felt the group's eyes pierce her skull and slowly turned to face them. She didn't want to tell them about the charity dance that he had asked her to. If she did they would automatically object to it, but even if she didn't Ayame would tell them sooner or later. Maybe she shouldn't tell her everything. Even Iva keeps things a secret… but of course she still thinks that pinky-swearing applies to everything. Mokuba would surely know since her date was his brother. The thought made her shudder. She wasn't sure how to let Seto down gently while still keeping her job. He wasn't really her type, but apparently he didn't care. Looks and money were everything to him and she didn't want to be branded that way. She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Téa shout her name. Her head shot up and looked around as if she wasn't even sure where she was.

"**What about tomorrow night?" **Mai asked slightly annoyed, like she had been asking it over and over.

"**Uh… I just have a charity event I have to attend. Even if I don't want to," **she stated, saying the last part under her breathe.

"**Do you **_**have**_** to go?" **Joey asked.

She nodded, looking over at Yūgi who had a very sly smile on his face. That sent her walking, fast, to the door, trying to get out of ear shot from the others' questions. With her maid right on her heels, she flung the door open and started to march out the door. The sound of the door slamming behind her was her fault. The questions angered her, apparently she couldn't even trust her friends on the Seto subject. But the only one she told was Ayame, big mistake on her part. She swore at herself the entire way to her office, earning some stares from her fellow colleagues. When she got to her office she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. The roses from yesterday were still sitting on her desk the blinds in Seto's room were closed, unlike yesterday evening when he was watching her. He was probably glued to his laptop again so she didn't even try to open the door. She glanced over at her flowers for a second, noticing that they needed water. She sat her briefcase down and picked up the container. She didn't want to go all the way down the hall and get the water, but she wasn't comfortable going into his office again. She swallowed the lump in her throat that had developed and knocked lightly on his door. He didn't answer or open it, so she thought that he was out of his office for a moment. But that didn't stop her from swinging the door open as fast as she could, catching it just before it hit the wall That was going to become a habit from Seto's little trick the other day. _'Trapping me in his office while hiding behind the door, God!'_ She took a few steps in and saw Seto leaning on the keypad of his computer asleep. She sighed and tiptoed to the bathroom, turning the cold water on as quietly as she could. _'I knew that Mokuba would keep him up all night,'_ she said to herself. She turned the water off and walked back to her desk, noticing that the vase was heavier than it was before it had water in it. The phone rang for the first time that morning and she was quick to answer it, looking over her shoulder to see if it had woken him.

"**Your clients have arrived Akina," **the receptionist said cheerfully.

"**Thank you. Send them up."**

She hung up the phone, and started into Seto's office. She had forgotten about the meeting and since he was sleeping she thought that he did too. She walked around the desk, almost sad that she had to wake him up. He only got a few nights of sleep during the week so this wasn't a very good moment to be telling him about a meeting. But they had been waiting for this client for a few months. It would be impossible to reschedule. He almost looked dead when she got closer. Placing a hand on his shoulder and shaking gently she asked if he was awake but it was apparent that he wasn't going to wake up easily. _'Thankfully it's a tall building,' _she thought, knowing that it would take the clients a few minutes to get to this floor. She shook him over and over until she saw his eye open slightly. _'Aha! I saw that!'_

"**Mr. Kaiba, our clients are here. You need to wake up," **she sang annoyed that he was still trying to sleep.

He turned his head to look across the room trying to ignore his partner. But Akina wasn't going to have that happen. She turned around to his window that took up the entire back wall of the room and opened it so that the sun beamed down on him. The bright light made him groan and say a few swear words under his breath. Akina sat down on the edge of the desk and shook him again. Saying that a few inappropriate words weren't going to make her leave. He heard the elevator doors open and shot up from his desk. He ruffled his hair and looked down at Akina, seeing her 'I told you so' face. The clients were chatting with each other and didn't even see them standing behind the desk from down the hall. Akina reached up and brushed a few stray hairs back into place on top of his head. This was going to be important and she wanted him to look like he had been up for at least twenty minutes instead of seconds. The clients were coming closer and saw Akina's empty desk outside of the office. They stood there looking at the amazing flowers that she had placed on the corner just a few minutes ago. She walked to the door and extended a hand.

"**Welcome to Kaiba Corp. I suggest that we get started," **she beamed.

If it was one thing she knew how to do, it was making clients feel important. She told them to take a seat across from her boss, which were two Morris chairs with chocolate brown leather upholstery. One man was fairly large and had a receding hair line. He was wearing a charcoal pinstriped suit with a black tie with golden triangles splattered on it. The second man -most likely a personal assistant- was thinner and wore a similar suit, only it was flax colored and his necktie was ecru with a large circle in the center. Akina stood behind the couch, not daring to sit with her boss after his last few incidents. She leaned against it and watched the two men carefully. Seeing that the assistant was nervous just by watching his index finger twitch ever so slightly, but the fatter man sat still, meeting Seto's death glare with one of his own. This wasn't going to be the best day for them, but Seto had shown Akina several tips to make things go their way. After a few minutes of watching each other Seto finally spoke.

"**Well let's jump to it, shall we? My company has a new product and we would like for you to distribute it," **he said, trying to sound polite but failed miserably.

"**Has this product been tested? Not only in your labs but on young players as well," **the man asked, laughing at the two's proposal.

"**Yes. Many of the children we have tested it on said that it was by far the most advanced technology of duel monsters that they have seen," **Akina answered.

This startled the man because her tone was different from the one they were greeted at the door with. This one was serious and cold, like she knew the questions were coming and had already played this scene over and over in her head until she knew exactly what to say. Seto smiled at her answer. During the year that they have known each other, Akina had learned many things from this company. She knew how to get straight to the point and not let anything insignificant details out. The two men looked at each other, the skinnier one's eyes looked frantic instantly, telling Akina that the scheme the men had planned was starting to backfire. After a moment Seto had finally placed a deal on the table saying that they would pay them one million dollars in cash a year for selling his product. Both Akina and Seto knew that this was a very generous offer. The assistant looked shocked at the price but of course the fat man was only getting started. He stood up and smiled at Akina showing that he thought that he had won the battle.

"**This isn't worth my time anymore."**

The man started to walk out the door with his follower right behind him. Akina sighed and walked over to grab a phone book from Seto's desk. When they were feet from the door she started to speak to Seto.

"**Do you want me to call our next client in line for the deal?" **she asked knowing that the other men had heard.

He nodded his head and Akina ruffled through some of the pages. The men turned to see that she didn't look like she was joking. She had stopped on a page and was sliding her finger through the list, trying to pinpoint the exact location of the next company. The man gasped and ran over to snatch the book from her hands. He smiled and started to laugh awkwardly, showing that he had finally come to his senses. Seto smirked and held up a pen to the assistant.

"**Then let's close the deal."**

After the paperwork was done the two men walked out, feeling completely idiotic that they had fallen for such a trick. But as long as the deal was done Seto and Akina were happy. Akina burst out laughing as soon as the elevator doors shut. Seto had taken his seat and was grinning at the previous moment as well. To them it was just too easy to fool others.

"**Did you see his face?"**

"**You did an excellent job," **he complimented her.

She smiled, but it soon went away as she heard her phone ring for only the second time that day. It was already noon and she didn't even notice the phone while they were pushing papers into the men's faces. She rushed out the door and picked up the phone on the third ring. She placed it to her ear and waited to see if the other acknowledged her presence.

"**Akina Hanari. Can I help-" **she started before being interrupted by a certain pharaoh.

"**Would you meet me at the park in five minutes?" **he asked.

"**Sure, it's my break anyway," **she answered, with a gleam in her eye.

"**In front of the fountain."**

With that he hung up, leaving Akina to tell her boss that she was taking her daily break and would be back soon. As soon as he nodded his head, she bolted to the elevator doors that were just opening. She caught her breath as the silver doors shut gaining a few stares from people that were also taking their break. Again as the doors opened Akina sprinted out and slung the doors open to the streets. She ran into a few people and turned her head slightly to apologize. They watched her with the same faces that the people in the elevator gave her. She ran through the streets, thankful that she had worn flats instead of heels that day. She had just reached the gates that lead to the white snow covered park. A couple had walked out gazing into each others eyes like they had known each other for their entire lives. She flashed them a smile, not completely sure that they saw her. She walked to the back of the fountain pulling her jacket tighter around her. Only to see the tall man with tri-colored hair waiting for her. She walked behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned quickly, his eyes softening as they met her blood orbs.

"**Am I late? I ran as fast as I could," **she grinned.

"**No, you're right on time," **he smiled a crooked smile, causing her to blush slightly.

As her face turned a few different shades of red, he grabbed her hands and placed them around his neck. His lowered to her waist, causing her to blush pure red, matching her eyes. He leaned in to whisper sweet nothings into her ear. As he did she was glad that he had his arms around her in case she fell from weak knees. A smile spread across Akina's face. This reminded her of the old days when she was his fiancée. The thought made her heart flutter. Yami had felt her reaction and rested his forehead against hers. She smiled as their eyes met, red meeting his light shade of violet. A few people walked by seeing the two lovers gazing at each other and one woman even walked up and congratulated them. She giggled and thanked the young woman who seemed like she really meant it. Yami chuckled as the people left, causing Akina to let out a sigh of content. After a few more minutes of staring into each others eyes, Akina realized that her break had ended about three minutes ago.

"**Kaiba will be wondering where I am," **she said reluctantly taking her arms from his neck.

He frowned but grabbed her hands before she started to walk away.

"**I'll see you tonight then."**

She nodded and ran off to her job. But apparently Seto had taken notice to her lateness and was already waiting for her in the lobby. She skipped in almost in a daze, which, again, didn't go unnoticed by him. He rose from his seat and followed her to the elevator, taking a separate one so that he would reach his floor before she would. He didn't want her to think that he was waiting for her, since his actions over the last few days had been unacceptable. The elevator that she was in had a few extra people in it, including Mizuki from a few floors down. They had been friends since she had taken this job and always talked in the lobby on their breaks. She nudged her in the side, finally getting the dreamy teen's attention. She broke out of the haze and shook her head, trying to get the previous moment to leave her mind for a few seconds.

"**You seem happy. Did you meet someone?" **she asked beaming slyly.

She nodded and gave a quick 'uh hm', gaining a squeal from her friend. Like Ayame and Hiroshi, Mizuki had been trying to set her up with some guys that she knew or met at parties. She clapped a few times almost jumping up and down like a little school girl. Akina rolled her eyes at her actions but decided to let her have this moment. Then out of nowhere she was talking about wedding plans. Akina had laughed and was telling her to stop as they came to her floor. Mizuki had missed her floor just to talk with her. As the doors opened, Akina jumped out, still listening to her giddy friend.

"**What's the theme going to be? Outside or inside? Can I be a bride's maid?"**

Seto over heard her questioning from his opened door and rose quickly from his desk. As the doors closed, Akina jogged to her desk, hoping that Seto was far too busy to notice her gone for about seven minutes late from her supposed break. After a moment she felt his blue eyes piercing through her skull, sending chills down her spine. She reached for a pen and started to write down worthless things on her daily planner. Soon, Akina felt his breath on her neck. His hands made their way to sit on her desk, blocking any way for her to escape. She froze scared to turn around or even make an attempt to get away. She focused on the roses that he had given her, then to the window, gazing down at the park she had just been to with Yami. _'Two men, one me,' _she sighed inwardly. The silence was broken when she heard his voice almost echoing through her mind.

"**What's this I hear about bride's maids?"**

"**Mizuki was just messing around," **she answered trying to forget how to breathe so that she could get out of this mess.

He spun her around in her chair, causing her to let out a small squeal. She tried desperately not to hyperventilate as he grew closer to her face, eyes locked with hers. The more she saw Seto, the more she seemed to love Yami, but she couldn't tell him that. He didn't even know that she knew him. But what if he did? Mokuba had actually spent the night talking to his older brother. What if he told him? As she pondered these questions, he grew even closer. _'I could use my powers… No!' _She couldn't risk letting her secret out at least not to Seto. Her phone rang and she reached over to answer it, happy that she had turned away from him. As she answered the phone, Seto grabbed it and greeted her shocked expression with his own. His smirk grew as he spoke into the black telephone.

"**She's busy at the moment."**

He leaned over her to hang up the phone. She flinched as his chest brushed her shoulder. She slithered through an opening that had gone unnoticed by him and started to walk to the elevator.

"**I'll be right back," **she said obviously lying.

He was right behind her, but wasn't quick enough to enter the doors when she hit the button. She was going to go to Mizuki's office, hoping that she could get some help from this so-called office romance. She ran down the hall as soon as she reached her floor, pushing past a few other people who were talking about office spaces. She flung the door open and already had tears running down her face. Her friend pulled her over to sit in a chair and drew the blinds closed. Akina had told her friend everything that had been happening the last few days, leaving out the entire being-a-spirit-and-meeting-an-old-pharaoh-part. Mizuki had taken her cell phone out and was starting to dial a number. The crying teen managed to ask what she was doing but was cut off when her friend signaled for her to be quiet. Akina was so confused that she didn't even hear what she was saying. Her friend closed her phone with a loud snap and turned to her friend.

"**How many personal and sick days do you have?"**

"**A-about two months. Why?"**

"**You're going to stay somewhere else. I don't want my best friend to be treated like this," **she stated pulling her coat on and dragging her friend out the door.

The young woman could only follow. When they turned down the hall that led to the only elevator on the floor, Seto had just stepped out. Mizuki ran back down the hall and made it to the stairs. She pulled her scared friend with her, trying to make sure that she didn't fall in the process. When they reached the lobby, they had no trouble signaling a taxi. Once they were inside, Akina had finally remembered what she had said in her office.

"**Somewhere else? What do you mean?"**

"**I have a summer home on the coast. You can stay there. We're going home so that you can pack. I'll tell Seto that you're visiting some old friends or something," **she explained.

"**I can't just leave! I have a job! What about Mokuba and Iva!?"**

"**Calm down. They can come too. I'll feel much better if you would take a break from this freak for at **_**least**_** one month," **she said trying to calm her now fuming friend.

She relaxed when she heard that Mokuba and Iva could come. Maybe her friend was right, it could help her relax a little. Yesterday had been the only personal day she had ever had. She was always stuck with Seto doing paper work and going to parties with him. _'Party,' _she recalled. Akina was supposed to go with Seto tomorrow… She knew that he would probably make a move on her then too, so she was even happier when she thought about it. When they reached her home, Mizuki ran up and started to place clothes neatly but quickly into suitcases. The others were all home from school, so Akina had to help Mokuba and Iva pack as well. After that, Akina ran down the stairs almost ramming into Yami.

"**What's going on?" **he chucked as he caught her.

"**I'm leaving for about a month," **she told him as she continued down the stairs to tell Hiroshi and Ayame the news.

He froze at her response. After a moment he chased after her wondering what the hell she was talking about. She told him what had been happening ever since the kiss on the night of the party. He was furious at the mention of Seto kissing her forcefully. She choked back tears as she told the happenings of earlier that day.

"**I'm going with you," **he said in the middle of her telling him what Seto had done.

Her eyes shot open in surprise. He would really leave Yugi and the others to help her. A soft smile showed on her lips as she looked into his purple orbs. She started to walk down the stairs again, telling Ayame that she was getting away from Seto for a month and that Hiroshi and she had to take care of the house. As she ran up to her room Mizuki had successfully packed Akina's entire wardrobe in three suitcases. She said that Iva was telling her family and Mokuba had already told his brother.

"**We have at least ten minutes before he gets here to stop us… Is this him?" **she asked noticing the man on her arm.

"**Mizuki! We don't have time for this! He's coming too," **she yelled trying to snap her friend out of her gaze.

She blinked a few times and helped put the luggage into the back of a taxi. Iva and Mokuba were sitting to the left of Akina, with Yami sitting on her right. Mizuki told her that she would take care of everything and grinned as she saw the two teens' hands intertwined. Akina smiled and told the taxi driver to step on it. She checked behind her every few minutes to make sure that a limo wasn't following them. Yami pulled her head to rest on his shoulder and petted her to calm her down. To her amazement, it worked. She was soon asleep and when she woke, they were already at Mizuki's summer home. It was as large as her normal home and right along the beach. The December days seemed to disappear since the air was warmer than the busy streets of Domino city. Yami said that she had been asleep for the entire ride and she knew that it took at least a day and a half to get here. _'I slept for almost two days?' _She asked herself as Yami helped her from the car. It was about ten at night so Mokuba and Iva were asleep. Each grabbed one and rested them on the sand that was still warm from the earlier sun. The taxi driver helped them with their bags and gave them a discount because he thought that the two were newlyweds. Akina blushed at the comment along with Yami. Already two people had thought that they were married. After they had put the children to bed, they started to unpack their belongings. Yami didn't have any so he just helped put things away. The night went by slowly leaving the two in silence for long periods of time. Neither wanted to discuss what was happening. To Akina, this was all just too much. She had to run away for a month just to get away from her boss. This just wasn't how she imagined her life. Yami placed a hand on her shoulder to see her face and was surprised when she was smiling. Because she had to admit these past few days were the happiest days she had had in her entire year of being in this world. She gazed out the balcony and onto the sandy beach. The sand looked ceil colored with the shine of the moon. She smiled and faced him.

"**Maybe this will be good for me."**

He rested his chin on her shoulder while his arms traveled around her waist. She could feel his warm breath on her neck sending shivers up her spine. She giggled lightly, trying not to wake the small children that were asleep just down the hall. The house was spacious, the walls were a white seashell and the texture was smooth. The Carrara marble was white matching the walls. Almost every room had a balcony looking over the ocean. As Akina looked around, she noticed that the summer home reminded her of the palace where she had lived in Ancient Egypt. In fact, it was rather frightening how much the two places looked alike. She turned to Yami expecting him to notice too, but he simply watched the waves crash onto the sandy beach.

"**It will be fine," **he whispered.

She smiled and rested against his chest. Akina did fear that Seto would track her down and forcefully take her away, but she knew that he had no clue where they were. Unless he put a tracking device in her cell phone. But just to make sure, she took it out and turned it off. It seemed ridiculous but Akina knew Seto. He always got what he wanted, no matter what was standing in his way. They stood there for about two more hours before they decided to get some sleep. Yami walked toward the door holding her hand until the last second. She watched him until he was out of sight. Akina looked at the clock and saw that it was twenty minutes after midnight. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She was still tired, despite the fact that she almost slept for two days. She drifted to sleep, thinking about the other's reactions when Ayame told them that she had left town for a month. She would stay in touch but probably through letters. He couldn't track her as easily that way. Stealing mail was against the law, which Seto usually followed…Usually.


	7. Plans for New Years

**Plans for New Year's**

**Chapter Seven**

Yami rolled over on the soft white sheets. It was the first day of the so-called vacation and Yami hadn't slept well that night. He was still thinking about what Seto had done to Akina to make her run. Akina was awake as usual, feeling very energized from the two days of sleep that she got. She skipped to Yami's room and knocked on the door lightly, trying to make sure that he was awake before barging inside. He had sensed her Millennium items and was already opening the door by the second knock. She stopped in mid knock and smiled at him. He gave a small smirk, realizing that she was wearing the same black and gold robe as the other night, when he was first asking questions. Mokuba was wide awake and had noticed the two. He ran over and hugged Akina's legs almost causing her to falter onto Yami. But, to Yami's disliking, she caught herself on the door frame. Iva had seen the entire scene and had gave a small sigh when she saw that Akina didn't fall. Mokuba still wanted Akina to like his brother, but Iva had found a new suitor. And that suitor was five times better than Seto in her opinion, maybe in Akina's belief too.

"**I'm hungry," **Mokuba groaned, causing Iva to slap herself in the forehead.

He had ruined the moment, but Mokuba was a boy. And boys don't really think everything through. Iva had continued down the hall looking out of the windows that showed the beach. She would have to convince the teen to get out into the sun. While Iva was creating another of her little plans, not forgetting about the holiday party and how all of her strategies had been evaded, Akina had started a conversation with the pharaoh and the small Kaiba.

"**I was just coming to ask you if you were hungry," **she smiled at the fully awake teen that was smiling at her motherly skills.

Akina hadn't noticed that she was doing it, but she had taken Mokuba's hand in hers and was rubbing his back with the other. Once you've been doing these things for a year, they actually become a habit. But not a bad habit in any way. Her hands raised up and waved in front of his face, he had been gazing at Mokuba and the hands that were praising him for a few minutes, and that was starting to make Akina worry. His eyes shot to hers and was automatically pulled into yet another one of her features. The red eyes had seemed different that morning. Almost peaceful as opposed to a small hint of fear that stayed almost completely hidden in the depths of the crimson orbs, but it was easily seen by him. A simple nod caused Akina to giggle slightly at his reactions. It was nice to get silent compliments from him even if she didn't really think that she deserved them at all. She had been holding back information in the past, but now everything was out; well as far as he knew anyway. This thought made her eyes move down to the hungry boy that was still by her side. She knew that if Yami saw what she was thinking that he would never let it go and charge at her with questions.

"**Let's go find something," **she replied to the young Kaiba.

He was dragging her down the hall by the end of her sentence, followed by Yami, who indeed did see the small hint of guilt in her eyes. She had pulled away from his gaze fairly quickly, giving him a reason to suspect something. He walked behind the two, gazing out the same windows that the small, diabolical, Iva had once walked by. But she thought that there was glass creating a barricade between her and the ocean. Little did she know, there was none. Yami had felt a small breeze of the morning and had felt the warm air that came soon after. Akina was silent as usual, pondering how to evade his questions that she thought were over. But she thought that there was still a chance that he didn't notice her reaction. Mokuba had distracted her for a few moments, talking about how he liked the beach and how hungry he was. Which wasn't a shock to Akina, boys his age are usually always hungry, but it seemed that Joey and Tristan had never gotten over that hunger. She glanced back only once on their way to the kitchen, making sure that Yami had followed. He did, but she noticed that his mind seemed to be somewhere else. She was tugged through the kitchen over to the cupboards, where she decided that cereal would be for breakfast considering that that was all that was there. Some milk was in the refrigerator; not spoiled thankfully. But Akina knew that she would have to go shopping later today, probably by herself. Even if she did want Yami to come, it was a precaution. Being drilled with questions and trying to decide what kind of bread she wanted didn't sound like a great combination.

"**I'm going to go out. Can you watch the kids?" **she asked, turning her gaze from the bare cabinets to Yami.

He gazed at her, either knowing that that probably wasn't the best idea _or_ she was going to get away from his questions. Akina had gently closed the cupboard and turned toward him, wondering why he didn't reply. She saw his questioned look and motioned him to join her in the hall. He followed noticing that Mokuba was too absorbed in his cereal to see them leaving. When he looked back towards her, Yami saw her lean against the wall crossing her arms over her chest. At first he thought that something was wrong, but then he saw the soft smile on her lips as usual and knew that it was alright. She opened her mouth to speak but was stopped by the clanging of Mokuba's spoon against the bowl.

"**I know what you're thinking. But it's only for an hour, and you can take them outside on the beach for a while," **she said glancing around the doorframe.

Mokuba had finished his breakfast and was placing the bowl in the sink for Akina to wash later. He looked around the room seeing that he was alone again. Yami had just agreed to watch him and Iva as he ran out of the kitchen to see where everyone had gone. Iva had come down the hallway and stopped in between them, looking up to see them gazing at each other. After a moment of silent staring, Iva's small hand poked Akina in the arm and distracted her for a moment. She, unwillingly, removed her eyes from Yami's and turned her attention to the short girl.

"**I'm going out for a while and Yami will keep you company," **she smiled as she bent down to her hikari.

Iva and Mokuba smiled evilly unnoticed by the two teens. Akina had stood up from her leaning position and was walking down the hall without a word. She quickly got changed into a pair of blue jeans and a tangerine tank top. When she got to the door she felt someone standing behind her. He held up her cell phone and waved it in front of her face. She reached up and grabbed it with a smirk. He rested his head on her shoulders.

"**I'll call every half hour," **she laughed turning the handle.

He smiled at her response and turned so that she could leave. If he watched her he would instantly want to follow her. It was easier but not really what he wanted. He always watched her leave and little did he know she did the same; watching each other's every movement until the other was gone. As he heard the door shut he wondered if Seto had done the same with Akina. Someone else watching her every move, probably making her feel uncomfortable. She didn't hate Seto but she didn't like him either. But it was apparent that Yami would kill the man if he had gotten the chance. As a smirk crept upon his face, Mokuba and Iva had run around the corner in shorts and t-shirts. They had begged him to go outside with them which of course he didn't refuse. He opened the back door letting the two children run out onto the sand. He sat down on the sand watching as Mokuba was trying to avoid the water. Iva had plopped down beside him and watched him for a moment. He felt her staring and decided to return the gaze.

"**What are you waiting for?" **she asked, breaking the silence that Mokuba hadn't even detected.

"**What are you talking about?" **he asked in return.

"**Never mind… **_**Men**_**," **she sighed as she stood to rejoin Mokuba.

She was going to tell him to ask Akina on a date, not knowing that they had already had one. Yami had watched the two children play in the wet sand for a moment when he heard the phone ring from inside the house. He ran into the house, not really expecting his reaction to the call. He knew that it would be Akina because no one had known that they were staying there except for Mizuki. When the phone reached his ear, he was relieved when she heard her sarcastic but still pleasant tone.

"**Is anyone dead yet?" **she asked placing a loaf of bread into her basket.

"**I thought that you trusted me?" **he chuckled.

She smiled through the phone, hearing his laugh travel to her ears. She cleared her throat, realizing that she had stayed silent for a little too long.

"**What are you guys doing?" **she asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

His voice soothed her. The fear of Seto and some of his body guards coming up from behind and taking her rushed through her mind, but seemed to recede when he spoke to her. He placed his hand behind his head and leaned over to watch the two children through the glassless window.

"**I'm watching them play on the beach."**

"**That sounds fun. I think I'll join them when I come back, if they're not too tired," **she laughed knowing that Mokuba liked to play until he was passed out.

He smiled a little. Feeling pleased that she was so calm considering the situation. But he heard the usual sigh that-even after knowing her for a week-he knew quite well. She was nervous.

"**That does sound fun," **he said trying to relax her.

It did, but only because everything he said or did made her relax into a different world. She noticed that she was standing still in the aisle with people asking if she could move so that they could gather their things. Her eyes shot open and she shook her head slightly. She wasn't very surprised that he had this effect on her but she did have other things to buy. She gripped her basket, embarrassed that she had held up a small line of people. She walked away with the phone pressed to her ear not really wanting to end the conversation.

"**I'll call back in half an hour. Just like I promised."**

"**Alright. Hurry back."**

She was a little taken aback by his goodbye. He really didn't like having her out on her own, but she was fully capable of protecting herself. But a little unsuccessful with Seto at the office. She closed her phone after giving a small goodbye, and started to roam the store. She seemed to rush through her list that she had created mentally and was actually shocked that she didn't forget anything. Once she paid for the groceries she called Yami. He picked up after the first ring which of course was expected since she was supposed to call three minutes ago. She apologized for her slight lateness and continued down the streets with the three bags in her hand. She spoke to him until she reached the door. Iva and Mokuba came in through the back door and helped her with her bags. She could feel a hand around her waist and smiled at the feeling. She saw out of the corner of her eye that Yami was smiling at the two. After a minute of yelling at each other Iva finally got a bag and Mokuba had two. Akina rolled her eyes but with a tiny smile on her face. Yami had closed the door behind her and led her into the kitchen. Iva and Mokuba were placing things into cabinets and had finished as soon as the two came in the doorway. Mokuba rushed over to the two teens sides and grabbed their hands in his. He pulled to the direction of the beach. Akina laughed as the small boy tugged harder and harder with Iva behind them, pushing, making them go faster.

"**At least let me change into shorts," **Akina pleaded.

They let her go but Yami stayed since he didn't ask to change. She ran onto the beach, seeing that Yami was sitting on the sand watching the waves crash and letting the breeze rustle his hair. She smiled as she took a seat beside him. He changed his glance when he saw a pair of black shorts sit in the sand. She was staring at the scenery like Yami had been with a smirk on her face. He reached up and placed his hand on her shoulder checking her reaction. She smiled not removing her gaze from her surroundings and placed her hand on top of his. Her eyes looked empty, instead of her happiness when she saw the two children play. She had let her mind wander, not minding the fact that he was worried. Akina hadn't thought about the future in a while. She had always imagined herself alone and living in the country… but worst of all alone. Akina had become quite accustomed to the city life and didn't want to live in the country. Mokuba was cheerful and Iva was kind of spunky, reminding her of herself in the past. Yami had been slightly serious and distant in ancient Egypt, while she was loud and happy all the time. After they met, it was vice versa. She had seen a lot of things she didn't want to and she rubbed off on Yami after a few days. She snapped out of it after Mokuba had sat down in her lap. Her hand retracted from Yami's and onto the little Kaiba's hair. Her soft smile returned and made him sigh inwardly.

"**Are you alright, Akina?" **Mokuba asked seeing her previous gaze.

"**Yes. Just a little distracted, that's all."**

That was very true. But she made it seem like it was hardly anything. Even Yami knew that it was far worse than she made it look. Iva came up behind them and sat in between the teens. Akina went back to her thoughts and watched the clouds roll by. An hour passed, when they heard the soft roll of thunder engulf the silence. Mokuba shot up and started towards the house shortly followed by Iva who had a bigger fear of the storm warnings than the small boy. Yami had sat there calmly watching Akina's expression that hadn't even changed when Mokuba left her lap. She was still thinking of a plan to get her life back to normal, before this entire Seto incident started. A soft feeling on her lips shocked her out of her thoughts. The brightness of the sun had disappeared and was replaced with a dull gray. The wind had picked up slightly but nothing seemed to distract her from the gentle lips that had found hers. Yami had grabbed her face to turn towards him and eventually spoke seeing the stress in her eyes.

"**There is something more?" **he asked rather than stated.

She nodded her head slightly, still flustered from the kiss. It had started to drizzle softly causing the sand around them to become wet. Mokuba had called out to them but Akina showed no signs of leaving on her own. She had brought her legs closer to her chest after Mokuba left, placing her chin on her knees. Yami knelt down and picked her up. Whether she wanted to or not, she was coming with him. He brought her to the couch after Mokuba and Iva had shut the door behind them. He sat down beside her arms still wrapped around her waist. She moved to sit on the side of the Ivory sofa but was stopped by his arms pulling her into his lap. Her eyes bulged at his actions but he simply gave her a glazed look with a smile. She didn't want to show it but she was enjoying this as much as he was. The rain pounded of the roof which thankfully covered the glassless windows. It didn't rain much at the beach but that didn't stop the contractors from taking precautions which Akina was happy for since she didn't have to mop up the water later. Akina saw the two children come in from the corner of her eye and slipped off of him. They sat down across from them, staring at Akina to see what was wrong. Yami was mostly pissed because she had moved away from him. Akina saw that and smiled softly at the two.

"**Go wash up for dinner," **she told them.

Iva had another one of her sly grins plastered on her face and Mokuba was just happy that she was smiling again. They ran up the stairs, tugging and pulling at each other to see who would finish first. As soon as they were out of sight she turned to Yami. He had leaned against the arm rest with his hands to his temples rubbing in a circular motion. She laughed lightly and decided to return to his lap willingly. He grinned as he placed his arms around her waist for the second time that day.

"**Something just doesn't feel right. Like someone's waiting for me around every corner," **she confessed her earlier concern.

"**That could be me," **he laughed as he nuzzled his face in the crook of her neck.

"**I'm serious. I don't think he's going to give up all because we've left for a month," **she laughed but then turned serious again.

And she was right. Seto Kaiba, was staring out of his windows in his office. He had missed seeing her sit at her desk, pushing a pen to a piece of paper every time he looked up. He missed the sound of her voice when she greeted another person on a phone call, but mostly the affect she had on him. He really meant what he said on the staircase the day before. He did have feelings for her, she was the only one who saw that besides his brother. Mizuki had refused to give any information to him as to where she had gone, she simply said that she was visiting some friends and relatives. But he did some research and found that she had no recorded relatives and, to his knowledge, she didn't have any friends outside Domino City. He gazed out into the snow remembering the first time it snowed in the office and she saw it. It was the first time he saw her smile and he loved it ever since. He hadn't shown it until the party but he did like to be around her. He really couldn't stand the fact that at parties they had gone to, that all of the men would come and tell him how sexy she looked and some would say that they would leave with her that night. But he was happy that every time a man did talk to her, she would come back to his side for a while until the man who had made her uncomfortable left her sights. He smiled at the memories and sat down in his chair. His laptop had been untouched since she had left. She always pestered him to take breaks and days off but he always told her to mind her own business. His phone rang and he paused for a moment to pick it up.

"**Mr. Kaiba, there is a call for you on line one. It's your little brother," **she said almost hesitantly.

"**Track this call immediately," **he ordered, his eyes widening in shock.

He held the phone as closed to his ear as physically possible, waiting for his brother's voice to break the silence.

"**Seto? I'm sorry I didn't call earlier," **he apologized.

"**It's not your fault. Where are you right now?"**

"**We're at a beach house. I had so much fun today Seto! But Akina did rub my hair and I don't always like it when she does that…" **he trailed on.

"**Wait, Mokuba. Can I speak with Akina?"**

"**She's making dinner with Yugi," **he said, still not knowing that it was actually Yugi's Millennium Puzzle's spirit.

"**She's with who?!"**

"**Yes. Yugi is with us. He's going to stay with us for the entire month! Akina seems really happy!"**

Seto was in shock and didn't return anything to his brother. He tried to speak almost succeeding once, but was cut off by Mokuba again.

"**I've got to go Seto. Akina's calling me for dinner. I'll see you later," **he said just before he hung up.

Seto dialed for the front desk again. Shortly, being answered by the unsure secretary in the lobby.

"**Do you have a location?"**

"**Y-Yes, The computer said that it's on the beach a few hours away by helicopter. Would you like me to-?" **she began to ask but was cut off by him.

"**No, I'll be arriving by car," **he smirked, hanging up the phone.

Mokuba had no clue as to what he had contributed to, so he took his seat beside Akina at the small table, grabbing the small fork beside him. Seto had started to walk down the hall, his limo waiting for him outside. He refused to take his helicopter because they would probably hear it from a few miles away, which would give her a reasonable time to run. And he didn't want her to get away from him again. The snow had started to subside and so was the rain outside of Akina's temporary home. She had set a plate of food in front of Mokuba and Iva but Yami said that he wasn't hungry just like Akina. As soon as the two were done eating Akina took them both upstairs to go to bed. It was about ten and the two had spent all day playing on the beach before the rain started. As soon as Mokuba's door shut, Yami embraced her and waited for her to speak. Which was rather hard giving their position. She pulled away and smiled as she walked down the hall with his hand in hers.

"**I feel like he's going to come and grab me any second," **she worried aloud.

Yami stopped and forced the girl back so that her back was to his chest. She felt his arms go around her stomach and his face was once again buried into her neck. He was rather strong for a 5,000 year old pharaoh so she couldn't really do anything at this point besides let him hold her. She couldn't help but smile though. The last time he had held her with this much determination was when she said yes to his proposal back at the palace. At that moment, Seto had climbed into his limo and told his driver the destination. He would reach her by tomorrow at exactly midnight. New Years. He was more than determined to reach her by then. Seto was also positive that he would receive his New Years kiss from his business partner, or to him, soon to be lover. But he didn't know that she already had someone to receive her New Year's kiss, and that he would do anything to protect her.


	8. New Years Kisses

**New Year's Kisses**

**Chapter Eight**

That night Yami walked Akina to her room, as usual. This time, he kissed her goodnight, causing her to stand in shock for a few moments after watching him walk quietly down the hall and around the corner. She closed her door, still wearing her frozen expression. Her eyes slowly closed when she fell onto her bed, gradually slipping into the night-world that seemed to flow into her room through the open balcony doors. The rain had stopped a few moments ago, conveniently at the moment they kissed. The stars started to dim as her mind drifted, hopefully into a peaceful night's sleep. At first all seemed at ease, the lotus flowers slowly glided across the water of the small pond that the two had sat at when they were children, and the sun beat down on the two teenagers. He had looked exactly like he did 5,000 years ago, dark skin, the same tricolored hair and the millennium puzzle draped over his neck. Akina had looked the same too, a softer skin tone than his, red eyes… and no bands. The last time that they had sat on those marble steps together, the last time she saw him, and the last time they spent a time together like that. As she remembered the feeling of those times, a dark figure loomed over them, seeming to drain the life from her face. She fell forward into the cool water and then the world seemed to stop. Atem stood up and looked at her for a moment, unfazed of what just happened. The shadowy figure was gone and now the cool pond and marble steps were replaced with the dry, grainy, color of the desert. Akina stood in shock when she realized that Atem was now gone and her body was alone in the desert. A cloaked figure appeared before her and knelt down the touch her forehead. The desert wind knocked his hood off and revealed the person that seemed to care about her confusion.

"**K-Kaiba?" **she gawked.

This was hard for her to believe, but once he drew closer she shot up from the sheets and felt the cold sweat on the back of her neck. The balcony doors were open with the ground still wet from the earlier rain. She shifted positions and let herself slide off the bed. Her breathing was still irregular and she had trouble standing. But she made her way to the doors to shut them feeling the cold night air contribute to the freezing temperatures she felt from her dream. She still had trouble seeing that as a dream. Akina didn't know where Atem went in her dream, but she didn't know where he was 5,000 years ago after he proposed either. But why was Seto there? Yami had told her that he was reincarnation of his cousin, but what did he have to do with all of this? Unfortunately, Akina knew all too well why he was there. What she had told Yami was only partially true. His cousin had kept telling her that he would never come back and that he was gone forever. But he had also comforted her several times. But those memories caused her to shiver as she ran to her door and out into the hall. The hallways were only slightly lit but she was still able to see where she was headed. Before all of this she would have hesitated to go _there_, but now it was the only thing she knew to do. The door seemed more intimidating the closer she came to it, but she kept her pace all the same. She breathed heavily as her body hit the door for balance. She didn't even bother to knock, this was too much for her to undergo by herself.

Yami sat on his bed, with his arms propping him up against the sheets, staring out of the window directly across from him when he heard the loud noise from his door. It defiantly wasn't a knock so he jumped from his position and quietly made his way to the door. He walked slower than usual, not really sure what was beyond the black ironwood barrier. When he was a few feet from the door she burst in with tears streaming down her face. Her breathing was staggered and she was having trouble standing. His arms reached out for her before she could fall and pulled her closer to him so that she was resting against his chest. Her actions frightened him since he had never seen her so upset before. Akina hadn't noticed it, but she had been biting her lip so hard that blood trickled down her chin. Yami's hand instinctively reached up to wipe it away when her hand caught his.

"**Stop it," **she instructed sternly after catching her breath.

"**I don't deserve that," **she stated coldly after a few seconds of silence.

Yami ignored her demand and pulled his hand from her trembling one. Once he finished cleaning her chin off he turned his attention to her tears. Some had been fought back but a few escaped her, making her feel like an idiot for crying so much. His hands reach up to her cheeks and she unknowingly leaned into his touch. But as she noticed her action she pulled away and struggled to her feet. Yami watched her as she made her way to the window. She placed her hands on the edge and watched as the small chains on her Millennium Item swayed slightly. The wind had blown again, causing her hair to fly into different directions. The only sound that could be heard was Yami walked over to stand beside her. She kept her eyes fixed on the blue horizon. It was the dark blue sky against the reflecting water but she could easily see the waves crashing in the distance. She suddenly spoke causing the other to jump in the silence.

"**I have something I need to tell you, but I don't think you want to hear it."**

"**If you're not ready to tell me then don't," **he said remembering her crumbled state a few moments before.

"**It's about your cousin… after you left," **she said just above a whisper.

He straightened his back slightly at the statement. After what she had said he did to her after he disappeared made him fume, but he still listened to what she had to say.

"**After about a week, he began to comfort me like you used to. And it soon turned into something more whether I wanted it to or not. And I think you can figure out everything after that," **she said a slight look of regret in her darkened eyes.

He was paralyzed. Not only did she admit that she was romantically involved with his past cousin but she didn't tell him of it before.

"**I'm sorry. But I did tell you that you wouldn't want to hear it," **she said, eyes still fixated on the dark scenery.

After that she began to walk out, fearing what he would say to her. But her fear vanished when she felt his arms around her waist. Her hands flew from her sides to meet his as she turned to him. An unusual expression was plastered on his face, obviously one that she had never seen before. A few tears escaped his eyes as he looked down at her face. A few moments passed and he was soon crying silently on her shoulder. The warm tears soaked her shirt and she felt him shaking ever so slightly. She placed her hand behind his head and wrapped the other around his back trying to hold back tears of her own. This was highly abnormal, seeing him cry. This was usually something she imagined Yugi doing but never him. Oddly, it didn't faze her at all. The seconds ticked by and soon he was able to calm himself with the help of Akina gently rubbing his back and telling him that everything was fine even if she didn't believe it herself. He raised himself from her shoulder and turned around so that she was facing his back.

"**Did he do anything to you?" **he asked, his fists clenching.

"**He kissed me once, but I push-"**

She was interrupted by a pair of lips against hers. Her eyes closed unconsciously as his hands rose to hold her face as close to his for as long as possible. She pulled away slightly confused at Yami's actions. She had just told him that he was involved with his cousin in the Egyptian past. Wasn't he supposed to be angry or something? But he was just happy that she had told him. (Because know he had another reason to murder him. LOL!) He chuckled at her expression and pulled her into hug. Akina felt her breathing slow a little, feeling better that she had gotten all of the information off of her chest. The clock on the bedside table read two thirty in the morning and she started to feel a little tired, seeing as how she had ran all the way from her bedroom to his after a scary-as-hell dream. She felt her eyelids start to droop down in her line of vision and fought to stay awake long enough to walk to the door. But that wouldn't be a problem because Yami scared her half to death when he walked up behind her and picked her up bridal-style and carried her back to her room. Laughing all the way to the room at her own reaction, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty that she had kept him up so late. When she was placed on the ground in front of her door, Akina turned around smiling at the man who brought her to the darkened room.

"**I'd apologize for keeping you up this late, but that would sound like I didn't enjoy it," **she giggled referring to the kiss they had shared.

He smiled, holding her hand until they _absolutely __had_ to separate. She sighed as she turned away from him and his grip. This was definitely one of the most craziest nights she had ever had… But she had no clue what Seto had in mind for New Year's Day.

* * *

Yami woke up the next morning a little bit tired from that night, but it was all worth it when he opened his door that morning to see Akina walking with Iva and Mokuba down the hall. She glanced back, hearing his door open. A small smile broke on her face when she saw him wide awake after that night. Iva and the young Kaiba had been talking so much about the storm last night that they didn't even notice like they usually would. He placed his hands in his pockets, sauntering down the hall to meet her. The two children had run down to the kitchen, not wanting to wait for the teenagers for breakfast.

"**Did you sleep well last night?" **Yami asked as he drew closer to her.

"**For only four hours I actually slept quite nicely," **she smiled.

The sun was shining and the beach looked scorching hot with the sun beating down on the sand. Akina could feel the sweat on her forehead and took a few deep breaths. Even in her golden skirt and matching halter top she felt as though she had been placed in an over sized oven. Iva and Mokuba's couldn't agree more since they were pulling at the collars of their shirts to let some air move between cloth and the skin. Yami should have been used to the hot weather but 5,000 years out of the desert had taken its toll. He was sweating just like Akina but he couldn't really tell if it was because of the heat or because she was standing kind of closer than usual. Akina was blushing slightly after she noticed that she had been standing too close and took a giant step back only to be mimicked by Yami taking a step forward.

"**Akina!" **Mokuba yelled as both started to lean in slightly.

Yami *eye twitch*

Akina *anime sweat drop* 

"**Coming!" **she groaned as she turned on her heel.

Yami let out a long sigh once she was gone and continued on his way to the kitchen. When he got there Akina was picking Iva up and placing her on the counter. She had a small cut on her finger and it was bleeding, but not enough to cry about. Mokuba was standing next to her with a kind of '_oh great_' look in his eyes and Akina had to slap him on top of the head to make him stop. In half a second, there was a band-aid on her finger and the teen had Iva in her hands and was smiling down at Mokuba. Yami often thought that she could defeat the gods with her speed, but she would probably deny it. Silence came to an end when Mokuba grabbed Iva's hand and started to tug toward the table saying that he was hungry. Yami saw the quick teen roll her eyes and walked to the sink. She washed a few dishes while looking up at the two children every few minutes and when she was done she looked up at Yami. He noticed her blush and started to ask why she did but then he noticed that his hand had unconsciously made its way around her waist. He flushed and started to take his hand back but it was stopped by hers. She smiled and looked over at the two kids who were probably finished eating by now. Both of them came over and placed their dishes next to the sink and walked out examining the light tan band-aid on Iva's finger as they went.

"**Well, this has been a perfect morning," **she sighed rinsing the plates and putting them back into the cupboards.

"**And why is that?" **he chuckled.

"**It's quiet, it's a nice day, and this is another one," **she said gesturing towards his hand that was still locked around her waist.

He smirked and gazed into her eyes. Blood red meeting soft violet causing her to catch her breath.

"**Uh… How about we all go out today? Mokuba and Iva probably want to see the town," **she suggested looking for something else to focus on.

Yami nodded and pulled away causing Akina to frown unnoticed. Yami made his way up the stairs and into the young Kaiba's room. Iva and him were staring out the window from his bed with smiles on their faces. He sat down next to Mokuba and noticed how different he looked from his brother. Black hair and dark eyes and not to mention nicer. Iva had shorter hair than Akina but the exact same eyes. The two children were very good friends and about the same age, Iva only being one year older than Mokuba. It almost made Yami upset that Mokuba had no clue as to what was happening. His eyes met Iva's and caused him to smile before being asked a question from Mokuba.

"**Did you need something Yugi?"**

He smirked a little. He did look a lot like him but _come on!_ He was at least a five inches taller than Yugi. But he decided to let it go when he saw Iva's uncomfortable smile from the corner of his eye.

"**We're all going out today, so you should start getting ready," **he said staring out the window the two were just looking out of.

The two's eyes lit up and they darted out of the room screaming 'I call the bathroom.' Yami sighed and went back downstairs to see Akina sitting at the table looking deep in thought. He sat across from her trying to see if she was upset or just thinking. She had been doing that a lot. Most of the time she looked as if she was in pain or upset and whenever he would ask, she would always tell him to forget about it. _'That's going to be hard since she does this everyday…' _he thought to himself as he looked into her dazed eyes. Akina noticed him after a few minutes and bolted up from her chair.

"**Ugh… I did it again didn't I?" **she asked, hitting herself in the forehead.

"**Yes. Are you sure that you don't want to talk about it?" **he chuckled.

"**No, I'll be fine. I'll be ready in ten minutes," **she said walked out of the kitchen.

After running up the stairs to her room, she grabbed a pair of denim shorts and dull red tank top. Her black sneakers were on her feet in seconds after she pulled them out from under her bed. After a quick glance in the mirror, she headed toward Iva's room to find her brushing her teeth. Mokuba was a boy so he didn't take a long time. He was wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a tan-ish shirt. After brushing his teeth, he shook his head and let his hair fall around his face as it always did. It somehow fascinated Akina how fast men got ready for everything. Yami came through the kitchen and was about to go up and see what was taking so long. He had already changed for the day in a pair of light blue jeans and a white button down shirt. He had rolled up the sleeves up so that they ended just below his elbows. Just as he started to walk down the hall, Akina slid down that banister with the two kids running down the stairs. She jumped off of the railing and landed in front of Yami laughing. Iva was now beside her and she had glanced up the teen, wondering where all of that energy had come from.

"**I have always wanted to do that!" **she laughed.

Mokuba was now joined in with Iva but Yami wasn't as confused as they were. He knew that even though she was very serious, sometimes she could go a little bit crazy. Turning on her heel, she grabbed Yami's hand and pulled him to the front door with the others following shortly behind. They had made it outside in the scorching heat and were now walking down the sidewalk while Akina was locking the door. A soft wind blew for a few minutes and caused Yami to let out a sigh of relief. He heard a giggle and turned to see a hand reaching out to his.

"**I thought that you would like the heat."**

His grasp on her hand tightened as they walked down the barren streets. Mokuba and Iva were walking in front of them and looking back every so often to make sure that everything was going smoothly. After a few minutes they had already walked into town and were exploring the shops. They were on the boardwalk when Mokuba had asked what all of the decorations were for. Akina looked around and herself and took in her surroundings for the first time. Bright red and golden ribbons were hanging from store windows and flashy lights were strung everywhere. There was a small stand selling sparklers and other festive items. Streamers were strung all around the doors of buildings and small children were playing with a puppy on the beach.

"**That's because today is New Year's," **she smiled as she patted the young boy on the head.

They walked through a storefront and started to look over the merchandise. Mokuba had placed a hat on top of Iva's head, gaining an aggravated face from her. Akina laughed and placed the hat on her head and headed toward the closest mirror. Yami was in the reflection too and was standing right behind her. A smile crept onto her face, but she flushed red when she saw his smirk. She threw the hat back onto a stand and turned to the children. They were her sanctuary at times like this when her knees would go weak and her face heated up to twice its normal temperature.

"**Are you having fun?" **she asked out of the blue.

Honestly, anything could have come out of her mouth at that moment and she wouldn't have cared; as long as he didn't see her like that. But the truth was he thought that her being nervous was cute. Yami had taken in all of her facial expressions during the times they had spent; nervousness, happiness, sadness, curiosity, seriousness, the entire package. But to his knowledge she had only seen three of his; happiness, sadness, and anger. Akina saw him study her out of the corner of her eye and turned back around pulling at her denim shorts a little to distract herself. Today felt so different to her, she had hardly ever acted like this in front of him but maybe it was because she knew what day it was and what usually happened later that night all around the world. She began to wonder if he even knew of that tradition. He had made his way over to her and was now holding her hands. She smiled feeling the blush reappear to her dismay. Before she could say anything, Yami had kissed her cheek and started pulling her toward the two children-who during this moment had made their way to the exit. They had walked down the boardwalk and watched Mokuba and Iva play on the beach again.

**(Seto's limo)**

Tapping on the glass that separated him from the driver's cab Seto was starting to get annoyed. They had been slowed down because of a crash and were now running later than what he expected. The dark glass slid down with a low hiss and the driver's eyes were already looking in his rearview mirror looking at his only occupant.

"**Yes sir?"**

"**How much longer?" **he asked, anxiety growing every second.

He honestly didn't care about Yugi being there with Mokuba but he did say that Akina was having a good time. Perhaps he had gone too far? Not in his opinion. Seto leaned in closer waiting for his driver to answer when he felt the speed up. His death glare had been successful-which of course was of no surprise to him. After a moment of silence the black glass rose to let Seto see his own reflection. He looked normal wearing the dark blue cotton shirt that had been in his closet since Christmas, which Mokuba had given him, and a pair of black trousers. His coat that he had given Akina that one night was sitting beside him, and had been there since they left Domino City's outskirts. In his mind, this was going to be the best year of his life… In his mind…

**(Akina and Yami)**

As the day grew old, (I sound like such a freakin' novelist! JK) Akina pulled out her cell phone and dialed her home number as they were walking back to the house. As soon as Ayame picked up she placed the phone on speaker.

"**Happy New Year! I'm just calling to check on my guests," **Akina said cheerfully into the phone.

"**Miss Hanari! Are you well?"**

"**Yes, yes. How are the others?" **she giggled taking Yami's hand in hers.

"**Things seem to be going well. Claire is coming over tonight for this evening's festivities and everything is going as you had planned… Even though I am against messing with other people's personal lives," **the maid sighed from the other line.

"**Well, you didn't seem like you had a problem doing that at the dance-and don't pretend you have no clue what I mean?" **she stated starting to raise her voice a little before Yami jumped in.

"**Good evening Ayame. How is Hiroshi?"**

"**Master Yami!? He's doing well, and how are the children?"**

As soon as the question passed her lips, Mokuba and Iva reached up for the phone and started to tell her about the amazing day that they had had which caused Akina to stop on the sidewalk and smile down at the two. Yami rested an arm around her shoulder and was watching the two with her. After a few moments of talking Ayame said that she needed to go and make dinner for Joey and Tristan. Akina rolled her eyes and was starting to wonder how much she was spending on groceries. She took the phone from the two children and snapped it shut. In a matter of minutes they had made their way back home and were now sitting on the couch watching T.V. Mokuba and Iva had taken a seat on the floor in front of the coffee table. Yami was leaning against the arm rest and Akina was sitting next to him. The time was eleven forty-five and they could see that the two children were already half asleep while they were walking home. _'Only fifteen minutes left,'_ Akina thought. This would make two years that she had been with Iva and Mokuba…and Seto. To tell the truth she wasn't sure if she should be grateful or completely and utterly upset. Her mind was telling her that she should be feeling a little of both. Grateful; since he did give her a chance and a new home, and upset; because he kept attacking her like a freakin' sexual predator. She sighed as the clock ticked to eleven fifty. Her mind was still wandering when she felt Yami stir on the other side of her. Mokuba and Iva had fallen asleep and the T.V. was still on. The newscaster was standing in the middle of Domino city in front of the large television screen hanging on the tall shopping mall.

"**There are only ten minutes left in the year!"**

Her voice shot through the speakers and everyone around her screamed. Akina looked at the screen again and saw that most of the people were couples, causing her to roll her eyes and sigh. Yami saw her and pulled her closer to him making her blush a little at his touch. _'I think that this is the craziest few weeks I have ever had,'_ she told herself. Watching the two kids sleep on the floor, Akina never noticed how fast the minutes went by. When she looked back up at the clock there were only three minutes left until the end of the year. Now that she thought about it, this was probably the first time Yami had been outside of the Millennium Puzzle for this sort of thing. _'I wonder… No he probably doesn't know…Shit!'_ The clock struck twelve sending chimes through the rooms and echoing off the walls.

"**Akina," **Yami said as she watched the couples of the television kiss their loved ones,

"**Hmm?"**

As she turned to him, he pulled her face to his and kissed her. Her shocked face receded as she felt the soft pair of lips on hers. She pulled away and was blushing bright red, almost matching her eyes.

"**Happy-" **he began but was cut off by the doorbell ringing.

She groaned as her feet trudged through the hall, pulling Yami behind her. If you thought that that short kiss was all-Akina would have told you otherwise. She pulled the door open and stood in shock, as a pair of lips smashed onto hers. Yami jerked her back beside him with his fists clenched. It was now 12:01 at Mizuki's beach house with one confused spirit, one pissed off pharaoh, and another certain CEO standing on their doorstep.


	9. Finally

**Finally**

**Chapter Nine**

Akina stood behind Yami with her hand over her mouth. After taking in her surroundings once her shock had lessened, she saw her boss standing in the doorway. Yami had his fists clenched waiting for him to make another move like that. But he just had his usual smug grin on his face, and that grin was just asking to get the shit kicked out of him! Akina turned quickly to put the children to bed… and not be a witness to a possible murder. Seto watched her as she raced out of sight and brought his attention back to Yami-who was now fuming even more than before. He let himself in and listened to the door slam shut behind him.

"**I'm sorry. Did I interrupt something?"**

"**What do you want Kaiba?"**

"**Just my business partner back."**

"**From what she told me, it isn't just business with you," **Yami retorted.

Akina came back down the stairs and went back to Yami, taking his hand in hers as a safety precaution. Seto noticed and a smirk broke out on his face. She was giving him the same cold look as Yami was and that was unusual for her, since she always greeted people with a smile if she hated them or not. They stood there glaring at each other for a moment before Akina decided to break the silence.

"**Why are you here?"**

"**As I was just telling Yugi, I'm here for my business partner back."**

Now Yami was getting annoyed. He was not Yugi! But he couldn't tell Seto that without him getting suspicious. Akina placed her other hand on his shoulder trying to calm him as much as she could. Seto took a step closer and Yami responded by placing himself in front of Akina. Seto kept his eyes on her, determined to leave with his partner. His intense stare was starting to make her shudder. She moved so that she could hide behind Yami-which wasn't very hard considering his hairstyle. The same smug look appeared on Seto's face again and the Yugi look alike almost killed him. Seto had a plan and he was going to make sure that it was perfectly executed. Akina rushed to the door and flung the door open. Bowing slightly she gestured out the door.

"**I think you should leave now."**

"**Well, that won't be possible. My driver has left for the evening," **he said, in the most arrogant way possible.

She looked out the door and noticed that his limo was gone and that she pointing out into the cold, dark, lonely streets. At the moment she could care less if he did spend the entire night out there. She didn't feel like dealing with him tonight. A sudden noise was heard from the staircase and Akina automatically brought her hands up to slap them across her face. Mokuba had woken up and was rubbing his eyes when he caught sight of his brother. He trudged across the cold floor and wrapped his arms around his brother, half dazed. Akina reached over and tugged him back a little ways so that she could pick him up again. He needed sleep and it was already twelve fifteen. She was hoping that Iva was a heavy sleeper and she couldn't hear the voices from upstairs. Mokuba was looking over Akina's shoulder as she took him back to the staircase. He reached towards his brother and she could hear the stress in his voice.

"**Is big brother going to stay?"**

She looked back and noticed the smile on her bosses face. He knew that she couldn't do anything to hurt Mokuba and in some ways she was like his older sister. She bit her lip but put on a smile for Mokuba who was now looking up at her for an answer. The tiniest glimmer of hope that rested in his eyes was enough to make Akina cry at his cuteness. But she didn't dare show any weakness in front of her boss/stalker. Yami had a continuous glare on him but would glance up at Akina every few seconds.

"**I suppose…" **she sighed, unpleased with her own answer.

Seto's face lit up and he walked over to her to take his brother away from her grasp. Yami was right behind him and had a good watch on his hands just in case. Once he was up the stairs Akina looked toward Yami had she could feel herself slipping. She was taking deep breathes to calm herself but that was doing absolutely nothing except making her dizzy. They made their way upstairs after they heard Mokuba's door shut. Seto stood in the hallway with one hand on the doorknob and the other shoved in his pocket. Akina kept a straight face but she could feel her palm sweating in her clenched fist. She stepped closer and pointed to a random room.

"**You'll be staying here," **she said coldly.

"**Aren't you going to tell me where to find you?"**

"**You can find me down the hall second door on the right," **Yami spoke.

Seeing the small smirk on Yami's face, Seto decided to retreat to his new room. Once his door was shut Yami pulled Akina down around the corner.

"**How the hell did he find us?"**

"**Do you think I know? Mokuba must have called him or something, he didn't exactly know that I was running from him…" **Akina trailed off looking back around the corner to the small Kaiba's room.

"**Will you be alright? With him right down the hall, I mean," **he questioned.

She nodded and walked back to her room without looking back. _'What did I do to deserve this shit?' _That was a good question in her mind. She cared for the two children like they were her own, she was kind to most people-with an exception to Seto-, and she always thought of others first. Can't she think of her own safety for once? What was she supposed to do? While she was thinking about this in her room, she didn't hear her door open. She was sitting on her bed staring out the window in her clothes from earlier. She didn't dare change just in case _he_ decided to come looking for her. That thought made her skin crawl a little bit. The figure sat on the other side of the bed causing the bed to squeak slightly. Akina jumped up with a small yelp and turned to see the intruder. Iva was looking down at her hands that she had placed in her lap. Akina was clutching her shirt where her heart was located in hope of stopping it from beating rapidly.

"**Iva? Is everything alright?" **she managed to ask between heavy breaths.

"**Why is Mokuba's brother here?"**

"**... I wish I knew…" **she whispered.

"**Is he here to make up with you?"**

"**I told you that there was never anything there, Iva."**

She rolled her eyes behind her eyelids as she reminded the little girl. Hadn't the last few days showed her that she loved Yami…Wait, did she just think that? She loved him… _'I might have to tell him that'_ Of course, after Seto had gone… or was murdered… which ever one came first. Even if she hated him Akina hoped for the first one. But she would have to wait until later. Iva walked over to sit near the teen, who was again sifting through her thoughts and, unfortunately no matter how hard she fought them, her memories were flooding back as well. Iva snuggled up to her 'caretaker'-as Akina liked to call herself- and started to drift to sleep. Akina thought about taking her back to her room, but stopped herself with the thought of Seto finding her bedroom. She soon started to fall asleep herself, fearing for the worst.

* * *

Seto on the other hand, wasn't tired. He placed his jacket on the chair in the corner of his room, and sat on his bed. So far this was all going as planned. He successfully entered the home, and was now there for the rest of the night. Now all he had to do was get Akina back. He sat for about five minutes in the silence of his bedroom. He could leave to search for her now and risk getting caught, or wait until he was positive she was asleep. Deciding not to have a run in with the furious man down the hall, he waited; and painstakingly at that. So at about one in the morning he slowly opened his door and peered into the hallway. He knew that Akina's room was down the left hallway since she didn't accompany Yami walking to his room. He saw that one door was slightly ajar so he opened it more to get a clear view of the room. Akina was asleep with the small girl in her arms. Yami took the door from his hand and pulled him from the door before he could enter.

"**What are you doing?" **he asked.

"**I could ask you the same thing," **Seto smirked.

"**She's been having nightmares lately…" **Yami trailed off, remembering the 'star' of her horrifying dream.

They were silent for a few minutes, both waiting for the other to make some sort of movement toward the door. Akina had been awake when Seto opened the door, because she heard the hinge squeak. She cuddled Iva closer to her out of fear. _'What the hell am I doing?' _she asked herself. She slid away from Iva and walked to the door, wide open so that she could see the show. She stood in the doorway for about five seconds before anyone took notice of her. But once they looked at her, she only met Seto's gaze, hoping that she could stare right into his soul and mess up his confidence slightly.

"**You know me better than that," **he replied, giving his own death glare.

She smirked and began to walk down to the kitchen with the two men following her. She was very pissed. Not only because her stalker had shown up- but because she wasn't asleep right now. Seto followed close behind her but wondered why she gave him that cold look when she noticed him. She lifted herself onto the counter and looked at the two. They stood about two feet in front of her and seemed to forget about the others' existence. They stared at her waiting to see if she would say anything but she just examined them, biting her bottom lip when she looked into their eyes. _'Blue and Violet…' _she wasn't going to pick from eye color-that would be ridiculous! The clock on the wall read twelve thirty…It was only half and hour into the New Year and she was already getting a bad start! She let out a long sigh and brought her attention to the two.

"**Seto, I want you to leave as soon as you can. I will be back to work in a few days," **she said sternly.

He gave her a questioning look and was about to retaliate but was stopped by her raising her hand to speak again.

"**I have loved only one man. To me there was never another choice. It's been that way since… well let's just say my entire life," **she giggled.

Seto didn't quite understand the statement but just looked over at his-what he referred to-competition, who was smiling at Akina's answer. You may have been wondering what exactly Akina was considering during those nerve-racking minutes of silence between the three. She was thinking about the future. How would she live? Did she want the life of fortune and fame, living with more than one maid and others tending to her every need so that she didn't need to lift a finger? _Or_… she could live with Ayame and Hiroshi in her own home, and two children would come everyday after school, and her new friends could talk and devour all of her food but she would laugh at it anyway-that was normal now. She couldn't imagine anything else. She could live her life the way she had been for the last year. If she had told Seto about the bands, he would have surely kept her for only one reason… research. After all the time working with him she had found out that he was a cold, power hungry, fun sucking man. But she couldn't help but love him. Unfortunately for him, it was more like a brotherly love. She had loved Yami from the very beginning and it was going to stay that way.

"**I hope you don't plan on firing me because I would miss Mokuba coming over to play with Iva. She has taken a liking to him," **Akina spoke in the most business tone possible.

Seto turned without a word and stalked back up to his room, slamming his door.

"**I think he's mad," **the girl sighed as she slid off of the counter.

Yami chuckled and hugged Akina but pulled back for a moment to look into her eyes.

"**Did you mean that?"**

"**Mean what?" **she asked flustered.

"**That you have loved only one man," **he chuckled again.

She blushed and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"**Yes. I hope that's alright," **she joked.

They heard more footsteps and looked toward the stairs through the kitchen door to see the two children smiling at them. Mokuba-who Akina thought would be upset for her not choosing his brother-looked the happiest. Of course Iva was happy, but she was still sleepy from earlier so she had one eye closed and the other slightly open, head resting on her arms that were placed on the banister. Minutes later all of them were asleep, except for Akina who was still trying to prepare for the worst the next morning when she would face Seto again. Knowing him, she was looking at a giant grudge or even worse.

* * *

Seto woke at about six in the morning. He groaned after his five hours of sleep even if it was the most sleep he had gotten this month, he didn't want to wake up. But he did promise her that he would leave as soon as possible. Alright he didn't, but she expected him to. And if that made her happy then, he would do so. Akina was already at the table when he made his way down into the living room, to see Yami sitting on the large sofa drinking water from a tall glass. Iva and Mokuba soon joined him and Akina just watched the group with careful eyes as Seto took a seat across from his rival. Seto looked up and met her gaze again, but unlike that night, she just smiled at him.

"**I will see you in a few days then Ms. Hanari. I'll be looking forward to seeing you," **Seto said, rising from his chair.

'_Just like that?' _she thought as he walked to the front door with his cell phone to his ear. She walked him to the door, leaving the view of Yami and the two children. Seto turned quickly and Akina ran into him not paying attention.

"**Mokuba can visit as much as he likes and work will be as normal as it used to be before-"**

He was caught off guard by a pair of arms wrapping around him. She was about a foot shorter than him, only five foot three inches. She pulled back and looked him in the eyes and smiled wide.

"**Thank you Mr. Kaiba."**

He raised his hand and placed it on top of her head. After bending down to reach her eye level he corrected her again, like he did weeks ago after the party.

"**Seto."**

And then he left, after kissing her one last time. She stood, shocked and confused, in the doorway. He smiled his genuine smile and retreated to his limo that had waited for him at the road. Akina waved still with the stunned expression and slowly closed the door after he was out of sight. She walked into the living room and sat close to Yami resting her head on his shoulder. She looked down at his wrist and saw the bracelet that had been with him the entire time she had known him in this world. One little golden trinket had kept him here and it could easily be taken away. Then she glanced at his chest and the shining puzzle that he always had. He would have to go back there soon and talk with Yugi, but did that mean that he would leave her?

"**I don't plan on going back," **he answered her unasked question.

She was confused at first. How did he know that was what she was thinking? But then she noticed that her hand was unconsciously rubbing the small band on his wrist and she had been staring at his Millennium Item. A dark blush filled her cheeks and she pulled away from him but was tugged back. Iva and Mokuba were too preoccupied with the television to notice anything that they were doing. But it was _extremely_ difficult to think that Seto would just go like that. But maybe it was just her over thinking it. She shrugged it off and kissed Yami just like she would any other day. Not thinking about Seto for the rest of the day.

* * *

Seto rested in the back of his black stretch limo and sighed deeply. Did he want to leave? _'No.'_ Did he regret his past efforts? _'No.'_ Did he think he loved her? _'Yes.'_ Did he love to see her happy? _'Yes.'_ Would he continue chasing after her even if she hated him? _'Yes.'_ And that was that. The pros outdid the cons so he would continue to watch from afar like he had been doing for an entire year. But Akina was happy and he could see it. She didn't look at him the way she did with Yami. Of course he knew that it would last forever. While he thought about his future, Akina just sat with Yami feeling the same as she did 5,000 years ago. Now that Yami knew his past and Akina could finally live with it, could it be they can start where they left off? This, in Akina's opinion, was the best thing that ever happened to her. So what happened happened and you can't change it, but you can change the future.


	10. DISCLAIMER

**STH:**** I totally forgot something!**

**SETO:**** To let me get the girl?**

**STH:**** No, that's not it. But if you feel that bad I'll write one about you another time. Promise. It was something like-**

**TEA:**** To give me more screen time?**

**STH:**** What? No, this isn't even a show it's-**

**JOEY:**** A manga?**

**STH:**** No, it's just a fan-**

**MAI:**** A fantasy?**

**AKINA:**** Why is this my only line? Don't' I get more lines in this talky thing?**

**YAMI:**** Will you guys let her finish?** _*Annoyed*_

**STH:**** It's about time! Anyway, I forgot to add-**

**TRISTAN:**** A scene with me making out with Claire?**

**STH: ****NO! Damn it! Why can't you guys just let it go? It's over and finished! That was the last chapter this is the-**

**YUGI:**** Completely useless 'character talk' at the end of the story that some people do?**

**STH:**** Well, it's not useless they actually need it because this is the** _*Stops to look around*_** Discl-**

**EVERYONE ELSE:**** Disclaimer!!!!!!!**

**STH:**** Why do you guys get to say it!? You interrupted me like, six times!**

**SETO:**** Well, you should have stopped stuttering and said it.**

**STH:**** B-But I-I wasn't even stuttering!**

**YUGI:**** You just did…**

**STH:** _*Pulls out giant mallet*_** THAT'S IT!!!**

_*Everyone runs for their lives except Yami*_

**YAMI:** _*Sigh* _**Well, STH owns nothing except for the plot and the OCs which are Akina, Ayame, Hiroshi, Iva, Claire, and Mitzuki.**


End file.
